


Coming Home

by orphan_account



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Fusion, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mates, Rape, Self-Harm, Spoilers for Episode: s05e18 A Single Pale Rose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-19 20:29:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 18
Words: 64,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14880701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Lars and Steven get together after he arrives in Beach City. Many people are against it. While dealing with that, Steven also needs to deal with Homeworld and betrayal of his allies.Contains smut and rape, which you can skip, as I announce it beforehand in the notes. If you don't want to see the latter at all and want a relatively happy story, don't read anything from chapter 14 and onwards.





	1. The arrival

**Author's Note:**

> I need this ship in my life owo, I need to write something new about this! Hope you like it

Ah, only a few more minutes, then Lars would be home. He had waited so long for this, it must have been months at this point. He was so excited to see, what changed at home. Well, was it even his home anymore? He really loved his ship, he even considered moving into it, when they landed, instead of going to his parent's. But no, Beach City was his home! He grew up there and all his friends lived there as well. Still, he would certainly miss space and being a pirate. Hm, maybe Steven would need a captain someday, so he could go to Homeworld or somewhere else. Lars would gladly do it; he owed Steven something after all. How could he ever repay him for what he did? if it weren't for him, he would be dead now. Maybe Steven would not want to be repaid anyway. He was such a kind soul, he would not dare to demand anything from Lars.

Anyway, Lars would find something to make his cute friend happy! That would not be too hard, he supposed, as Steven loved every bit of attention he got from the older boy. And Lars did not mind spending time with him, even before his death. It was quite the opposite; he loved Steven. Not just in a friendship-kind-of-way, but, uh,  _the other kind of way._ He just didn't show it, because... well, he didn't even know why. Probably to seem cool. Nowadays though, he had become way more confident in himself and gave zero fucks about "being cool". He would need to pay Steven a visit, then. But maybe he should visit his parents first? He truly did not know. They would surly be angry at him, if he did not visit them immediately upon his return. But, he needed to introduce his crew to the rest of the Crystal Gems first! He couldn't just leave them alone in his ship, after all. It would be best to take Steven with him to meet his parents, too. They would want to know a bit more about his, uh, _condition_. Steven told them he died, didn't he? Lars prayed he did. If not, his reunion with them would become quite awkward. It would be hard enough to explain gem-magic to them in the first place, but telling them he was _undead_? Hell no.

The twins turned around to face Lars, who was quite zoned out:" Human Lars! We are going to land within the next minute. Hopefully, we can pull that off without problem, but you should brace yourself nonetheless!", she warned him. "Uh, ok. Thank you...", he said awkwardly. He really needed to concentrate more, he was always so lost in his own thoughts. Thankfully, he was a zombie, or he would even manage to suffocate from forgetting to breathe! Hm, maybe he should breathe anyway, it might unsettle the humans, if he did not... Weird, that he did not really consider himself human anymore as well. He was something different, at least in his own perception.

The landing wasn't _that_ bad. Well, it surly could not have been considered soft, but the ship was still intact! That's all that mattered anyway, that his sweet poor baby was fine... He really understood, why Emerald liked it so much now.

They had chosen to land near the lighthouse, where only Ronaldo would go most of the time. Of course, if he was there now, he would pester Lars forever until he was allowed to inspect his ship, but at least the other townies wouldn't come running to them right away. That would be something he was so not up to deal with right now... It was still a problem as well, that he would need to cross half of the town to get to his parents' without half the town seeing him. He just didn't want to cause a scene. Even if he was confident now, he still did not want to be the main attraction of the city.

They were lucky, as no one approached their ship, so they could go to the temple in peace. Lars didn't even bother to knock; he would enter in any case, whether Steven was there or not. What would he do otherwise? Stand outside and wait? They went into the living room, where no one was to be seen. Lars looked around a bit, but it seemed they were alone for now. It was quite weird. Just sitting on the couch with the others, not really doing anything. At least in the ship they had something to do.

They did not wait for long, however. The warp-pad began glowing with Steven, Amethyst and Sardonyx appearing, the latter split quickly though to Steven's dismay. He loved Sardonyx and was really sad she wouldn't form more often. When he saw his visitors, all of that was forgotten, though:"LARS! Why didn't you tell me you'd be here already, I would have thrown a welcome-back-party for you!", he screamed, while running up to Lars. He threw himself onto him more or less, hugging him to death if that were possible. "Ah! Steven be careful, you're squishing me! When did you become so strong... uh, nice to see you too. I would have told you, if you had visited me again", Lars explained, which was hard when not being able to breathe that much. After all, even a zombie needed air to speak. Steven did not care, he knew he couldn't damage Lars anyway, so he just hugged him more:"Sorry, but I did not have time to visit, you see... some  _things_ happened, which I needed to sort out first".

Afterwards, the Crystal Gems took care of the off-colors, showing them the temple and town, but also explaining some things like how living with humans worked. That effectively left Steven and Lars alone to talk. Lars started:" I don't want to rush you, but I'd really like to visit my parents  **with you** ", he stressed. "With me? Why?", Steven did not understand. He liked the Barrigas, but Lars should perhaps do this alone..." Because I'm pink Steven! I don't know how much you've told them, but I can't face them alone like this", he pressed, while flailing his arms around helplessly. "Yeah,  _you're_ _Pink_... Uh, there might be some things I did not tell them-". " _Steven_ \- what did you tell them?", Lars warned. He did not like where this was going. His friend looked down insecurely:" Well, they now you're a space pirate fighting homeworld-baddies and that you're really brave in that!"

"... You-, you didn't tell them I DIED?! STEVEN! They are going to get a heart attack when they see me!", the pirate cried out in terror. This couldn't be happening... He really liked Steven, but this- this was horrible. "What was I supposed to say? "Hey, by the way, your son died in an explosion, but he's ok now"? They wouldn't have believed me, Lars", Steven tried to justify. It was true, his mom would have been devastated. Hell, he wouldn't believe someone being ok after dying. Perhaps it had been unfair to task Steven with this:" It's- ok Steven. I would not have told them either, were I you. But still, please come with me now, so that we can explain". His little half-gem nodded and smiled. He was glad Lars had matured so much. Before, he would have never admitted something like that. The only thing left now was to tell Lars about  _the other developments._  

As they silently crept through Beach City, careful not to be seen, Steven wondered, if he should tell Lars now. His stomach hurt at the thought of that. How would he react? Lars had seen what the diamond authority was like and now Steven was part of it. The Crystal Gems had taken it fairly well. There was still quite a bit of tension left, but they knew they could not possibly blame Steven for anything. Also, Garnet had given her ok, that everything would be alright. She, or rather Sapphire, had been overwhelmed by all of the new visions made possible by the revelation. Most of them were quite  _dark_ , she admitted. She wouldn't say what exactly happened, however. Most of these realities would have started long ago, though, so they did not need to worry about it. 

Steven decided against telling Lars now, he did not want to stress him even more. After all, there were even more things Steven wanted to tell him. That however would definitely end their friendship, he knew. He- he truly liked Lars. Like, A LOT. A bit too much to be entirely innocent. If Steven could, he would pull Lars into a dance and fuse... He wondered how that would be. With Connie, it was just a fusion of best friends and Amethyst was like a sister to him, but Lars was none of that. Their fusion would most likely not even work-, Lars did not like him that much, he knew. He was embarrassed of him. He'd best just not say anything. Lars was in love with Sadie anyway.

As Steven thought about all of his problems, they had approached Lars' front door. "It's now or never, I guess", Lars whispered, while ringing the bell.


	2. Visiting the Barrigas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars has to explain a lot to his parents upon their reunion.

The door opened after what seemed like an eternity filled with anxiety. Lars would have fainted for sure from all the stress, if he could. In the course of a few seconds, his mother's face underwent multiple changes: From disinterest to utter joy and then to complete confusion:" L-Lars, honey! What are you- why are you  _pink_?", she stuttered, while pulling her son into a hug. Of course she was happy to see him, but this new look irritated her greatly. Lars had spent too much time with those colorful gems, it seemed. Maybe it was some kind of dye? She just hoped one could reverse it, as her son probably hated looking like that. He never had liked pink before, thinking it was going to make him stand out and "uncool" in front of his friends.

"Hey, mom. Uh, I'll or rather **we'll** explain that later. Let's just go inside and sit down first, ok?", Lars stopped her train of thought. It was best for his parents to sit down, rather than fainting outside and hurting themselves. This would be fun, he thought sarcastically. His parents were nice and all, but they often overreacted and were extremely worried about him, as well. As soon as he would confess having died, they wouldn't listen to him anymore, he knew. They would also ignore him being  _just fine_ , although he sat in front of them, more or less alive. Ugh, why did he not stay in space for all eternity? That would have been better, but it was too late now.

He didn't wait for his mom to process his demand and freed himself from her hug. He went into the house, pulling a surprised Steven in there as well by his hand. If he could not escape this, neither would Universe! They went into the living room, where he knew his father would be. Lars muttered a short "Hi", before embracing his stunned father quickly and sitting down next to Steven. His mother, who had finally also joined them, sat across from them, next to her her husband, holding his hand reassuringly. While her husband was still trying to discern, whether this was a dream or not, Mrs. Barriga was just excited to hear  _everything_ about her son's adventures. Steven had told them Lars had become a "pirate", how cute was that? It was nice, that her little Laramie had had so much fun on his way back home. He even had a costume! The pink tint was probably also part of it, she assumed. She would have never thought her son would play dress-up and role-play like that, but she was glad for him nonetheless.

"Sooo... how was your little space-adventure? We were rather worried at first, but you look like you had loads of fun!", Martha glowed. "I-, what do you mean by me looking  like I had loads of fun?", Lars asked suspiciously. What did Steven tell them? That space was the safest place of all? This was not good, his parents  _should be worried_ and did his mom just make fun of his pinkish skin? His mother irritatedly answered:" Well, you know- your costume and all! It must have been fun playing with your friends, wasn't it?". "P-Playing?! Mom, me being a pirate was no joke and this certainly is no costume! I almost died several times, well ok, I  _did die_ , and I fought homeworld-gems! We were plain lucky nothing happened to us and that we were even able to steal a ship from them. This was no game-", he said a bit too loud, getting angry at her ignorance.

His mother thought this had been some kind of role-playing, like Ronaldo always did? He couldn't believe it. This was worse than expected. He accusingly glanced at Steven before putting his head into his hands to cover it. The former was shocked as well. He did not tell them Lars was only playing games up there! He really had tried to explain the severity of Lars being there, but he also couldn't worry them too much. This however, was not what he wanted! Now he totally disappointed his crush, because he was misunderstood.

Dante awoke from his paralysis, after hearing his son's confession:" YOU WHAT? You died?! Son, please tell me this this is just a bad joke. I mean, how would you even be sitting here...". Lars pointed at Steven:" You tell them!". Great. Why did he need to tell them? He had kinda hoped he would not have to do it. Well, now he had to, so he awkwardly clarified:"Mr. Barriga, this wasn't a joke and I never said Lars was only having fun up there! He- yeah, he died. However, I could revive him, so it's not that bad...right? Haha...". Lars knew it was mean to push this unto his friend, but he needed to be selfish just once. Also, if Steven hadn't kept this secret, none of this would have happened. No, he could not blame his Universe. He would have done the same, after all.

The Barrigas didn't know what to say. They had thought Lars to be just fine, not that he was fighting for his survival! Laramie broke the awful silence after a few minutes:" I'm sorry we didn't tell you before or rather, that there were misunderstandings, but we can't change that now. Yes, I died in an explosion, but Steven's right, I'm fine now. I'm still your son, whether I'm a zombie or not. I'm not in pain or anything, either. Even dying wasn't too bad. Really, I was immediately knocked out, no pain, nothing.  if I hadn't risked my death, my friends would have been hurt! that would have been much worse. Also, all the _other times_ I was close to death, I knew what I was doing and that I would be alright". He hoped this would convince them. The last thing he needed now, was two hysterical parents on the verge of dying by shock.

It kind of convinced them, it seemed, even if his mother was crying. She tried to stop herself however, as she needed to be calm for her family. "Well, I guess you look fine... but you have to understand this is all a little too much. Laramie, we just want you to be safe, if we had known- I don't even know what we would have done... But we would have done something!", she sniffled. Her son didn't deserve any of this, it was just unfair:" What does you being a zombie even mean? Do you- do you need to eat humans now? I don't even-", she asked uncertainly. They might manage to- to help Lars, but if he was some kind of monster now...

"What? No, I **don't** eat humans now. Maybe I shouldn't have called it being a zombie. Not a lot of things changed. Well, I'm closer to a gem now than to a human, I suppose. I don't need to eat or breathe anymore. Also, my pulse is really slow and I'm cold now, but otherwise? Nothing changed; well, uh, Garnet has foretold I can't age anymore, so I guess I'm kind of immortal, but nothing else is different. It's ok, mom. It really is", he explained to his best ability. Hell, he did not know, if there were any bad side-effects to this, but none had showed yet. He certainly wasn't a cannibal, though, that much he knew! Hopefully this was over now and he could hide in his room forever. He couldn't take his family being so concerned for him and crying. He wished this had been a happier reunion.

Meanwhile, Steven had succumbed to shame. This was all his fault, like everything else was. This could have gone way  better, if he hadn't been a coward and told them the truth. Or better even, prevented Lars death. He felt miserable. If it weren't for Steven, Lars would still be happily working at the Big Donut with Sadie. Now he was undead and his parents still crying. It was a mystery to him, that the former did not hate him for that. Still, he'd better loose his little crush, he did not stand a chance before and now he had even less of one. Maybe he should just run away, his mom always did too...

In his depressed state, he did not even notice the change in mood of the others. The situation had relaxed and they now chatted about diverse topics, mainly about what changed in Beach City. Lars did not notice immediately, that Steven, which was very unusual for him, was quietly sitting besides him with eyes fixed on the floor. When he did though, he was really concerned. He nudged at Steven, while his parents discussed his new trendy color-scheme,:" Whats wrong Steven?", he whispered to the younger boy. He could guess what was wrong; Steven always thought any problem appearing was his fault in some weird way. "I'm sorry, I did not tell them about your death...This is all my fault", Steven whispered back. Bingo. 

This guy would be the  ~~second~~ death of him, Lars pondered. He just would not accept being awesome, would he? He sighed and put his right arm around Steven's waist to pull him closer into a half-hug. He leaned in and silently said:"Look-, none of this is your fault, ok? If anything, I should be more thankful for you reviving me and coming here with me. Also, it's alright now, my mother isn't even crying any longer". 

Lars was right, she wasn't, instead, she and her husband intently watched the display in front of them: They had  **never** seen Lars being close to someone like that without being forced to. He wouldn't even hug Sadie in front of people, because he was too shy! And now he was invading poor Steven's private space to a degree, which was not normal for friends anymore. The latter also looked really uncertain and kind of confused. After all, their son intently whispered  _something_ , they couldn't quite hear what, into his ear while hugging him with one arm. Maybe they did not even  _want to know_ , what Laramie said. 

Dante awkwardly coughed to get their attention and stop his son from further _molesting_ his confused little friend. Don't get him wrong, he was happy his son had found someone he liked, it was just- Steven was three years younger than Laramie, another species and a  _boy._ He had always hoped, that his little one would get together with Sadie, but the former got really angry in the past, when he proposed that. This weird gem-magic must have messed up his son, making him pink of all colors and liking boys. This just wasn't right.

Steven was-, he was really confused by all the mixed signals he got. First, he thought Lars did not like him, but now he got so close? He was probably just being stupid; embracing friends and comforting them was normal. That's all they were: friends. At least something. Still, he was all kinds of sad, when Lars distanced himself to regard his dad, who wanted something from them. Luckily, Lars kept his arm wrapped around his waist, which was nice and also pressed them against each other's sides. His crush's hand was also tantalizingly close to his gem. Normally, a gem wouldn't allow just anyone to touch them, as it was quite risky. They could be shattered or poofed, after all. But Lars wasn't just anyone! If he wanted to, he could touch the Pink Diamond all he wanted, Steven trusting him completely to not hurt him.

Mr. Barriga finally stopped his musings:" Hm, I did not know you two were so "close", you never did anything together before-... you know". Ugh, he just wanted them to stop that weird touching, it wasn't supposed to happen between them. If it were Sadie it would have been ok, but this...

Lars knew this would happen. His dad was right, they weren't that close before, but that was just because he was not comfortable with showing it. Still, it must have seemed a bit out of character, to touch Steven at all:" We were always friends, dad. You know I don't normally show that however. The thing is, I changed through dying. Also, we did do things together before! It's not like I hated Steven before or anything...". 

His dad wasn't having it; who was this and what did they do to their son? This must be the gem-magic taking it's toll on Laramie! His son would never do this normally. Also, the "we did _things_ before _"_ really unsettled him. What kind of  _things?_ Just the thought of his son touching another boy  _in that way_ made him sick. It must have been a lie.

Well, this was weird. Why did his dad look so disapprovingly at them? He practically glared at them. Maybe he was still not sure, what he should think about Lars' death. Anyways, Lars didn't feel like discussing that matter anymore. He still needed to catch up with Steven a bit more; after all, the diamond authority was perhaps not so amused he stole a ship and that they all fled. He needed to know, whether the Crystal Gems had any plans concerning that. "Um, Steven and I'll go up to my room for a while now, I'll see you la-", he started saying, but was interrupted by his dad:" AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO THERE?!", he said really quick and full of suspicion. No way, he would allow them doing  _that_ in his house.

What was up with his dad? Laramie frowned:" We'll do a bit of catch-up. If you have to know, we'll discuss the Crystal Gems' plans regarding the diamond authority. They might be a threat after all  and I need to know, how I can help. They are my enemies, too, now".

He obviously lied! He never cared for those aliens before. But if he said something, his son would only get angry and he couldn't let his wife be upset any more. She was already quite troubled by him being zombie and most likely also by him being "gay". He let them go for now. He would need some time to come up with a plan, so that he could free his son from his gem-magic induced delusions.


	3. Stress relief

They went up to Lars' room to get some time alone and discuss a few topics. To be quite honest, Lars just wanted to get away from his parents, before they pestered him more. Also, his dad behaved really weirdly and he wanted to give him some time, so Dante could process everything. He led Steven to his bed, so they could sit on it to talk, as he really did not have any other places to sit down in his room. He should change that, perhaps.

"So... I think it did go better than expected. I mean, they were quite shocked, but they did not completely freak out at least. I'll have to talk again with them later, though. After all, I can't just go on as if nothing happened; working at the Big Donut and going to school. That's just not me anymore", Lars started the conversation. Steven was glad to hear his friend being so optimistic. Maybe he really did not mess up things that bad! But, he should focus. He turned to look at Laramie and proposed:" Well, I'm sure you could join us- the Crystal Gems, I mean. We could really use a captain! Also, I'm sure Pearl could teach you to fight as well, then you could go on missions with us like Connie! But I don't know if your parents would approve...".

Ah, Connie. He liked her, but ultimately, she was  _competition._ Steven loved her a lot, Lars just could not discern in which way. He hoped it was only platonic. Anyway, Steven had a point, he assumed:" I'd like that, but you're right. Mom and dad won't approve of this. After all, they don't take the gems seriously. They still think they are some kind of hippies probably, rather than alien rebels. They even thought I was role-playing. It will be hard to convince them". 

And maybe, Steven thought to himself, Lars wouldn't want to join him anyway if he told him the truth. He did not want to, but he  _had_ to. He could not keep this secret forever, especially not with Lars. He already kept too many secrets from him... He was quite anxious; now was the perfect time to confess-, but this might change everything! What if he hated him afterwards? It seemed, like he had been already plain lucky the Crystal Gems still were his friends. Maybe he would not be as lucky now.

Lars noticed his friend had become awfully quiet and feared he was blaming himself for  _something_ again:" What's wrong Steven? You know, I'm not mad at you; I made that clear, I thought", he said while poking at Universe's side to get his attention. 

Oh no. Now he definitely had to tell him; he would know if he lied. He felt sick, because his heart was beating inhumanly fast. He'd rather just vanish now, retreat to his gem and never come back out again. But there was no escaping this, his crush was already regarding him worriedly, awaiting an answer. "I- It's not that! I... need to tell you something. But you have to promise me, you won't get mad, ok?", Steven stuttered.

What could it be? Would Steven tell him now, that his revival had bad side-effects after all or that the diamonds were on their way to kill them all? Maybe he would turn into a mindless zombie, eating brains and- no, he was overreacting. He needed to focus now! Maybe it was something silly, which Steven thought was a big deal, but really wasn't. That would be typical for him, after all. "You know, you can tell me anything! I won't get mad at you- at least I'll try... I'm sure it's not that bad", he exclaimed while winking at his little friend, which earned him a blush. Oh, why was Steven always that cute? If he wasn't careful, he too would have to tell him a secret.

"O-ok... So, you know what type of gem I am, right?", Steven started. This was almost too much for him. "Uh, of course I know you're a Rose Quartz. I may be a bit ignorant sometimes, but I wouldn't forget  _that_ ", Lars answered irritatedly. Where was this going? Did Steven have so little trust in him? He was kinda hurt now...

"Well that's not quite right, in fact, it is completely wrong", Steven added evily. He might as well have some fun! "WHAT? U-uh, Steven I'm sorry! I was so sure you were-", his crush tried to explain, while the pink in his face darkened of embarrassment. He was really wrong?! Oh stars, this was so awkward...

Lars was freed from his troubled mind, when the not-Rose Quartz weakly giggled. "Lars, it's ok. I've told you I was a RQ. It's just- I was wrong, too. I was lied to, or maybe that's not quite accurate. Pearl was the only one who knew I wasn't and she could not tell". "So what, is that stone only glued on and you're a normal human?", Lars tried to joke. He always said these stupid things, when he was nervous and hated himself afterwards. This was probably not something his friend wanted to hear.

Steven appreciated the joke; he always loved it, when Lars became unsure and said funny things like "bingo bongo". But still, this was no laughing-matter:" No, the gem is real, it's only, um, sideways. Oh stars, why is this so hard? I'm- I-", he tried to tell, but could not. This was- it was just too much! If he told his pirate now, he would leave him for good! He knew the way of the diamonds, that they were cruel dictators of a society divided into castes. If he told him he was one of them and his mom was a liar- Lars had thought his mom was super cool! He would hate him now...he-

Lars was in shock at the display in front of him: Universe had started sobbing uncontrollably in the middle of speaking and looked as if someone had died  ~~again.~~ He was so perplexed, he even forgot to imitate breathing and instead just sat there. The only thing he knew was: whoever wronged Steven, would pay for this! He hated seeing him like that. What should he do? Stars, he wasn't good at this kind of thing. Ultimately though, he just decided to hug Steven some. "Hey... it's ok, I'm sure it's not that bad. If you don't want to tell me, It's alright. Is it- are you ill? Do you have some kind of gem-cancer and that's why your gem is sideways? Oh no, you are ill, aren't you? Please don't tell me you are...", Laramie started rambling. If he were to loose his favorite  gem-

Now he messed it up big time! His poor Lars thought he was going to die; well, maybe he would, if the other diamonds got their hands on him. "N-no, I'm not ill or something. I- I am a diamond", he became quieter with each word, while hiding himself in Lars' chest as long as he could. He would surely push him away soon, being disappointed beyond measure. 

Lars couldn't trust his ears. A diamond? He took Steven's upper arms and pried him away from his chest, making him look up at him. Universe's eyes were all puffy and red now, having cried in hopelessness. Steven had to be joking! He had seen diamonds before and his friend looked nothing like them. He wasn't a jerk like them either! Frowning, he asked:" You're a diamond? Steven, you better not be joking about something like that...".

Well, at least Lars hadn't thrown him of yet, but he would, if he confirmed it. His grip on him was probably enough to bruise by now. He couldn't speak, so he only nodded while starring anywhere but Lars' direction. This was it... he would loose his best friend, no, the one he secretly loved, forever. 

Laramie disbelievingly stared at his gem's head going up and down multiple times to confirm what he said. This was beyond horrible! Diamonds- they were the enemy! They are the reason he was dead... what was he supposed to think of this? But wait, which diamond was Steven anyway? He thought there were only four, with PD shattered:" Which one?", he asked with underlining anger.

The Pink Diamond was perplexed; his crush's death grip on him only tightened more and his tone wasn't exactly  _calm_ , but at least he had not been thrown off yet. But he better not make him any more angry, so he sniffled:" I- I am Pink Diamond. She was never shattered, it was all a lie. But I didn't know, I promise!".

Steven only began wailing stronger now, Lars noticed. At least he wasn't secretly Yellow Diamond or something, that would have been the worst possibility. This was... difficult and his mind was a mess. What should he think of Steven now? If he really hadn't know who he was, how could Lars blame him for anything really? It wasn't like Steven and his mom were the same person... Steven could not be blamed for anything she did. Just now he realized, how strongly he currently gripped his poor crush's arms. He loosened his grip and let his hands slide down, letting them rest at Steven's. It wasn't fair to be angry at him. Nothing of this was. Him dying was unfair, Steven being lied to was as well. All of this was pure bullshit. " I- I trust you, Steven. I trust you, that you did truly not know. Just- this is all a little too much, ok? But you have to know, as always, I don't blame you for what your mother did; that she lied to us all", he tried to comfort his diamond.

"You... You don't blame me? But how could you? All of this is my fault, you should hate me! I'm the reason you were kidnapped and killed, I-", Steven would not believe it. How was everyone ok with this, when he hated himself for all of this? However, he was interrupted:"  **Stop** , Steven, are you deaf or something? Why don't you believe me, when I say, I don't blame you? What do I have to do to make you believe me?". While saying this, Lars  _carefully_ shook Steven; he did not want to hurt him more, after all.

Apparently, that was the wrong move though, as Steven only started sobbing again. He also was about to pry himself away from the older boy and run away, but was not able to in the end. Perhaps Lars wasn't as strong as Steven, but he definitely was quicker. He more or less  _threw himself_ on Steven, who was trying to get away. That however made them land on the floor with aloud thud, Lars on top of Steven, pinning him down:" Why are you trying to run away?? Why won't you just listen to me?". The diamond tried to wriggle away:" I don't know! Just leave me alone, please! Don't lie for my sake, Lars... I know you're not okay with this".

Lars was angry, this boy- he would end him someday! "I'm **not** lying, you moron! Just accept, that I like you the way you are and nothing is your fault! Why is this so hard for you?", he exclaimed, while preventing the smaller boy from escaping. He loved every little thing about Universe, except this one! He liked his kindness, his smile, his stupid gem-magic and even accepted him being a diamond, but he would not let Steven hate himself. But how was he supposed to stop that? How could he show this moronic boy, that he was loved by literally  _everyone?_ And  **especially by him**? 

"Like me? Before your death, you wouldn't even visit me or- or hug me! You're just doing this, because you think you owe me something!", Steven knew he was right. Lars only did this, because he was grateful. Otherwise, he would just have thrown him out!

So that's what this was all about? Steven really thought, none of this was sincere? He had to give him some credit, he had been a real idiot before, too embarrassed to show affection. So again,  _he couldn't blame Steven for thinking this way._ But he would change that  **now.** He put his forearms down besides his little friends head and lowered himself. Luckily, this action paralyzed Steven and prevented him from escaping. "If I didn't like you, would I do  _this?"_ , Lars whispered mischievously, while leaning down more and more while Steven's eyes got larger and larger:"Lars, what- mmph!", he questioned, but was stopped by a pair of lips on his.

Hopefully, this would convince Steven! It wasn't a super long kiss, but it was still quite nice, even if Steven was too shocked to do anything and so the kiss was rather one-sided. At least Lars prayed it was because of shock and not, because Steven did not like him like this. 

Either way, neither could think more about any of that, as Lars' dad stormed into the room, having become suspicious, when he heard a loud thud and arguing.


	4. Fighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars and Steven are interrupted

"LARAMIE! What in the stars names are you two doing? GET OFF OF HIM!", Dante screamed in a manner Lars had seldom seen. Usually, his dad  **never** got this angry, not even when he was failing school. Reluctantly, he got up from Steven, who he had been still pinning down and kissing, when his dad came in. Now, they both sat on the floor rather unsure about what was going on. His father meanwhile, was standing in the door frame, looking like he might explode soon. His head was red like a tomato and his veins could be seen pulsing. 

The older boy, a bit frightened, asked:" What's wrong dad?". "WHAT'S WRONG? You kissing a boy is! Laramie, I thought you were were a decent young man, but this-", his dad exclaimed, clearly enraged by his son's ignorance. This was not normal. This wasn't his son! "Universe! You are leaving my house this instant! I don't want to see you or your magic friends near my son ever again; just look what you've done to him", Dante added, while accusingly pointing at Lars.

Lars was beyond confused. He didn't do anything wrong! Also, what did his dad think the gems did to him? After all, he had initiated the kiss, not Steven. He would have never thought his dad would be so... homophobic. Well, they had never spoken of this, so he wouldn't know, but his dad never had seemed like this. And what about his mom? Where was she? She surely wouldn't approve of this. "Dad, please calm down. I don't get why you're so angry all of a sudden, it's not like-", Lars started to interject, but was interrupted himself:"Be quiet son, you're just confused. Now, get out Universe!".

Steven looked like a deer in headlights, being completely overwhelmed by this whole situation: fighting with Lars, kissing him and being screamed at by his father. Lars wasn't much better, though, looking equally as startled. Steven needed to think about all of this, so he obliged Mr. Barriga. Also, he did not want to make him any angrier; he might do something regrettable, if he was aggravated even more.  He stood up and nervously said:" It's ok, I'll go", while walking towards the door. Dante stepped to the side, so he could exit.

Lars was stunned, Steven just left him alone? "Steven, wait- please!", he tried to prevent his friend from advancing. He also rose, but stopped following Steven, when the latter whispered a quick:" I'm sorry, Lars...", and then turned around to leave. Maybe he had been wrong after all and Steven really did not like him as strongly as he had hoped...

His dad smiled and walked up to him. He lay a hand on his shoulder and explained:" See, Laramie. It's better if you don't meet that kid again. He only brings trouble and nothing else with him. Now, please, get those ridiculous clothes off and come down for dinner". With that, he went outside and left Laramie standing in the middle of his room. he was lost. What was he supposed to do now? Just do what his stupid father wants and never see his diamond again? He turned to look at his mirror. Did he really look ridiculous? He pulled a bit at his coat, unsure of what to think. He wished his father hadn't interrupted them. 

He couldn't go back to the way he lived before. He did not want to! He couldn't just go work at the Big Donut and pretend nothing happened. He wasn't that awkward guy any longer, that cared too much for what other people thought of him. Fuck this, he thought. He would not conform to his dad's image of what he should be like. He had enough of everyone dictating who he should be. He wasn't weak like that anymore. Anger build up in Lars, he would show them what he thought of this situation. Enraged, he punched his dumb mirror he had spend so much time in front off in the past, worried of his looks. It broke and Lars was quite satisfied with his work. He would  **never** go back to the way he was.

 _Without changing_ , he went down the stairs to the kitchen. His parents were already sitting at their dining table. There were  _three_ plates with food on them. His father of course instantly saw him having disobeyed, but Lars spoke first:" You know what dad? Shut up, I don't want to hear it! What you just did was disgusting and I surely won't pretend nothings wrong and I won't do as you please". His mother gasped; she was used to her son's outbursts, but not like this. He usually just screamed and ran to his room, he never stood his ground. She asked in shock:" Laramie, where is this coming from? What are you talking about?".

"What, dad didn't tell you of his  _accomplishment_? Well, he just threw out Steven, screamed at me because I'm gay and told me to change out of my "ridiculous clothing". Isn't that nice? I've been home for like what, an hour or two? And I've been already insulted and embarrassed. Great work", their son shouted. He had enough of this. Of everyone not accepting him for what he was.

His father steamed with anger:" How dare you speak like that? Laramie, we only want the best for you. Clearly, you are confused: Being an "undead pirate", really?". His father still did not believe him? How could one man be this delusional? He had to have seen the Crystal Gems and their powers before, no way he could deny there being magical things at work here. "First of, it's  **Lars** , just call me Lars! I've told you a billion times before and I can't believe you deny me this one simple thing. Secondly, yes! I am undead! I'm not crazy or something, dad", he exclaimed. He went up to his father and displayed his arm:" Here, touch it, go on! It's ice cold, just like a  _corpse_. Also, I don't have a normal pulse. How can you ignore that?".

Dante reluctantly followed his sons instructions:" Pah, maybe you've got some kind of fever, boy. Yes, you're cold, but that's not too unusual. I bet that, if you ate something and slept awhile, you'll be fine again". Furious, Lars pulled his arm out of his dad's palm:" No, I won't be! I don't even eat, dad. I  _don't have to_ and I've told you that! What should I do to convince you? Jump in a lake and hold my breath for a few hours, because I _can_. Or should I rather do  _this_...". The boy went to the kitchen counter, opening one of the cabinets and taking out one of their knives. At first, his father thought his son had lost it completely and was going to attack them now, but that wasn't the case.

"Laramie, no! What are you doing, honey-", his mom tried to stop him to no avail. Lars had already pulled his sleeve up and slit across his forearm with the knife. Fuck, that hurt more than expected, but if it proved his point, it was worth it. He lay the knife down on the counter and walked up to his paralyzed parents. He proudly presented his arm:" See, no blood. Because I  _don't have blood anymore._ Will you believe me now or do I really have to jump in a lake?". And it was true, not a single drop of blood emerged. One could see a wound, but nothing else. He let his injured arm fall to the side and waited for a reaction.

His mom was first to speak up:" Honey- I believe you! Just please, don't hurt yourself any more!", she sobbed. Well, that wasn't quite what he had wanted, but it was something. He expectantly regarded his dad, who just stared back at him for a few seconds. "Son... I don't- maybe we should go to a therapist, I-", he began, but stopped when he saw Lars' reaction to it. His father wouldn't believe him, would he? "Ugh, you now what? I'm leaving. If you're ready to accept me, meet me at the temple. I can't stay here if you are like this", he said, now utterly annoyed. Great, now he slit his wrist for nothing.

As he was about lo leave, his mother followed and gripped him by the end of his coat:" Lara-, Lars, don't do this to us! You were gone for so long". Lars turned and embraced his mom for the first time in  _years_ , which stunned her enough to let his coat go:" Mom, I love you guys, but I can't do this anymore. I don't want to stay a second longer in a house, where I and my friends aren't welcome and would have to pretend to be someone else", he sadly explained and left.

~~At The Temple~~

Steven sat on his bed in his PJs, eating his very last cookie cats, while quietly sobbing and thinking about what had happened. Outside, it was storming, with loud thunder now and then. He felt rather bad, because he left Lars alone. He hoped Mr. Barriga did not hurt him. Still, he had to go. His head had been spinning from everything that happened. He loved Lars, he really did, but he was so unsure if his feelings were returned. He kissed him, yes, but maybe that was just to comfort him or out of a sense of gratefulness. Lars had been a bit angry at first, too, when he confessed. But suddenly, he wasn't any more. This was all so weird. 

And now, he did not even know, how to contact his love. He had lost his phone in the kidnapping and Steven wasn't allowed in their house. The worry almost made him mad; what if Lars had been hurt? And he was just sitting here like a coward, not like a diamond should...

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door, which he almost overheard because of the weather. It couldn't be Connie, it was too late already and the gems wouldn't knock... could it be? He sprinted to the door and, yes, it could be Lars. "Hi Steven...", he exhaustedly waved at him, while being completely drenched. "Lars! What are you doing here, did you're dad calm down?", he asked joyfully and let him inside.

Lars shed himself of his beloved coat; at least the rest of his clothes were more or less dry. He sat down on Steven's couch, head in palms and said bitterly:" No, he did not. We fought and I've ran away. He's an idiot. He won't even believe me being undead, there's no sense in staying there. I've told them to meet me here, if they're ready. I'm sorry you were caught up in all of this". Steven sat down next to him for now:" How can they not believe you being undead? And don't be sorry... I'm sorry I flipped out before, if I had not, he might not have come to check on us".

"Don't be, I wasn't exactly calm either, Steven. I don't know, he just thinks I'm insane. I even showed him I don't have blood and-", Lars said and was interrupted:" You showed them you don't have  _blood_? HOW?", the diamond worriedly asked. Lars only shoved up his sleeve and pushed his arm towards him. The gem was quite upset:"Lars! You can't just- cut open your arm! Even if there is no blood... Should I- do you want me to heal it?". Lars nodded encouragingly. Now Steven was in a dilemma: Should he just lick his hand and put it on there or should he  _kiss it better_? Both were quite awkward, to be completely honest. But he wanted to make a statement after what his crush had done to him. So he took the arm pulled it towards his mouth and kissed it.

Oh. So...this was unexpected. But it was a welcome surprise to Lars. Still, this reminded him, that they still had a few thing to discuss.

When Steven had closed the wound he shyly asked:" So, Lars, do you want to stay here then? I mean, you could live in your ship of course, but it might be nicer here...". He really hoped his friend would agree. It would give him plenty of time to make plans on how to advance further. Maybe he could take Lars on a  _date;_ that would be really romantic! Then he could see, whether Lars had been serious or not and-

Lars nodded in agreement, but saw his friends thoughts were somewhere completely different already, not taking notice of it. He'd better change that- Steven's attention should be on  _him_ by all means. The older boy also wanted to commence what they had started, taking Steven's healing as a sign, that the younger one would want it too. Really, how dare he  _tease him_ like that? That should not go unpunished. So, he did the most logical thing and advanced on his diamond as if he were his prey. He put his left hand on Steven's neck, which awoke him from his trance instantly.

Even if he was a bit younger, he still knew what that meant. And this time, he wouldn't just lay there unmoving!

The pirate pulled Steven closer to him and kissed him. This time was way nicer, because Steven participated as well. He pushed a little at the smaller boy, so he would lay down on his back again. Lars had never really done this before. He only ever had a quick  _platonic_ kiss with Sadie, nothing more. So this wasn't just really new and exciting for Steven, but also for the older one. The former encircled Lars' waist with both arms and pulled him closer. It was different than hugging "normal" people, as Lars didn't have any body heat. Still, it was really comfy and he felt secure, having his pirate so close. Sadly though, Steven wasn't a full gem and needed air, so he had to push a bit,  ~~or maybe a whole lot,~~ at Lars, to prevent himself from suffocating.

The latter sat back and effectively trapped his diamond beneath him, who was heavily breathing. "Hm, being undead has it's perks, it seems", he giggled, while stroking Steven's hair lovingly. "Yeah and if you hadn't stopped, I could have perhaps experienced it too", he joked. "But as much as I like this, I'm kinda freezing here. Maybe we could take this somewhere else?", Steven added afterwards. After all, the storm had lowered the temperature significantly, Lars was really cool and he was only wearing his PJs. He freed himself from Lars and pulled his friend to his bed. He didn't really  _plan on anything,_ he just wanted to be warm. If that involved Lars being cuddled up to him, so be it.

"So, I'm sorry for bringing that up now, but about your gem... I really love you, no matter what. I don't care which kind of rank you have in gem society, ok?", Lars whispered to Steven, whom he currently spooned. "You love me? How long?", Steven gasped and turned to face Lars. "Of course I do, you fool. Do you think I just kiss anyone? Hm, and I guess I loved you for a long time. I think I really realized it shortly before I gifted you that cookie cat freezer", he chuckled. Steven was really cute, when he was oblivious like that. "But that was like almost two years ago! Why didn't you say something?", Steven wanted to know. "You know I was shy then... but, do you love me, too?", Lars worriedly asked. Steven hadn't said that magical word to him back, maybe he was just toying with him?

"Ha, of course I do! I've did for sooo long! I was just shy, because you were always so embarrassed being seen with me...", Steven explained with a sad look in his face, which Lars intended to kiss away:"I'm sorry I was such an idiot. But now I'm not and I'm sure everything will be alright with my parents and your gem". The diamond kissed him again, but turned around afterwards again. Steven really liked being held like that, especially because Lars was way bigger than him and it made everything even better. 

"Can I touch it?", was whispered in his ear. "Uh... touch what exactly...?", he uncertainly asked. He loved Lars a lot, but maybe this was going a bit too fast..."Your gem, you moron! What did you think of", the pirate evily snorted into his ear. "Um, s-something else... but, uh, yeah, you can touch it. J-just go for it". Well, this was embarrassing. No way Lars hadn't got what he meant.

"Why so nervous, Pink Diamond? Not very befitting for someone as mighty as you", he was teased, while Lars poked the diamond a bit. Good, that Lars could not see his face, as he was redder than a ruby."I'm not- It's just... Not everyone is allowed to touch a gem's gem. Especially not a _diamond's_!", Steven tried to save himself from any more shame. Lars stopped his administrations at that, he hadn't known this was so special:" Why not?". "Well, if you were to  _pull it out_ , you could easily poof me and then shatter me. So, it's a really intimate thing to do, because it is rather dangerous", Lars was answered. This was unexpected. He had thought it was simply  _inappropriate_ to touch that. But Steven's explanation made more sense. He cupped the gem with one hand and reassured:" I wouldn't do it, you know that. And if you were to be poofed, I'd make sure you're safe,  _my diamond"_.

 


	5. Meeting the family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crystal Gems learn about Steven's new relationship

Morning came quicker than expected, especially to Lars. Normally, he wouldn’t sleep, but having Steven so close seemed to have allowed it. He hadn’t slept in months. It was nice to dream again, as well. He did not remember a lot of it, just a sort of pink haze enveloping him. It didn’t matter now anyway, so he just gave up on remembering. He didn’t know how late it was, but it must have been late morning, as the sun was already up and quite high, which he could see in the windows next to the front door. His diamond still slept, however, silently snoring away. Lars didn’t have the heart to awaken him, so he just pulled his friend closer and snuggled him more. He smelled Steven’s hair, which weirdly smelled like candy. Probably, because Steven ate way too much sweet stuff. He hoped, that he wouldn’t get diabetes from it someday. Unlucky for them, they were disturbed again.

The Crystal Gems came out of their rooms one after the other, Amethyst being the last one of course. Lars wondered, where his crew had gone; he hoped they weren’t lost or something. Maybe he should just pretend to sleep and then they would be left alone. But he wasn’t quite sure, perhaps this was the time, they normally woke up the diamond? Lars could not know, he had never slept here, which he now regretted greatly. He hid himself more in Steven’s hair and under  the covers, not wanting to accept the inevitable.

Garnet wasn’t surprised Steven wasn’t yet awake, after all, she had future vision. She also knew, what had happened yesterday. Although she had been almost bursting of joy at her revelation, she kept quiet. Pearl would have immediately run to protect Steven or pester them with awkward questions. Also, the little diamond probably wanted to show them his boyfriend himself. She went up the stairs to Steven, leaving the others behind. She usually woke up Steven nowadays, rather than Pearl doing it. Steven was definitely her favorite thing in the world, no way anyone else would be allowed to do this! She really should try to fuse with Steven one day… But not now.

She stood in front of the bed, arms crossed and imitated a cough to get Lars’ attention, who she knew was awake. He only did a sound akin to a growl, burying himself even deeper in the comfort of Steven’s bed. “Mr. space-pirate, would you be so kind as to let Steven go? He has to wake up! It’s almost too late for breakfast! And you know, Steven loves breakfast”, she declared, careful not to let her happiness about the cuteness before her show. In reality, she wanted to hug both of them until they poofed, but that would only embarrass poor Steven. So she better pretend to be “cool”.

A silent :“No…”, was the only thing that could be heard from below the covers. He wouldn’t let Steven go… He never wanted to leave this bed again! He embraced Steven even tighter, if that were possible. That did not wake up his diamond however, who wouldn’t even wake up, if the temple around him were to explode.

Pearl, overly protective as always of her diamond, became suspicious. What was taking so long? Usually, Garnet needed exactly 36 seconds to come back. She had already been gone for a minute! She went up as well, Amethyst confusedly trailing behind her. Maybe something was wrong? Well, she was way too tired to think for herself right now, so she best just followed Pearl.

Garnet became impatient, even if this was way too adorable. “Either you let me wake him up, or you’ll face the consequences!”, she commanded. Lars did not care it seemed however, as he did not move a muscle. Ok then, she would need to get her secret weapon! She went to the end of the bed, took a corner of the blanket and inhumanly fast pulled it away from the two. This would wake Steven up for sure, it always did!

“HEY! Stop that, will you?!”, shouted an annoyed Lars at her. However, only then did he notice the other two gems having crept up to the bed as well. Steven really needed a separate room! How could he live with everyone entering his “bedroom” whenever they wanted? Luckily, he hadn’t gone commando… that would have been even worse! Reluctantly, he sat up from his lying position, but not letting go of Steven completely, who was slowly awaking now as well.

Apparently, he hadn’t changed position quickly enough though. Pearl had already seen that human touching her diamond! This was unacceptable; he most likely wasn’t even aware of the level of trust, that was required for this! He just- assaulted him in his sleep! “What are you doing here?”, she angrily wanted to know.

Oh no, this sounded awfully familiar, Lars thought. He thought his parents were a nuisance, but maybe Steven’s were as well. “What does it look like?”, he asked mischievously. He really didn’t want to deal with this now…

How dare he speak like that to her? She felt insulted:” How should I know? I only saw you _molesting_ Steven! Do you even know what you did to him?”. Humans, they always were trouble! First that caveman, then Greg and now this!

Meanwhile, Steven had become more or less awake. What was all this fuss about? It’s not like they did anything. He loved his family, but sometimes they were… overprotective. “Pearl, what’s wrong? Lars did not “ _molest_ me”. I allowed him to touch me and I explained him the significance of it. Just- leave us alone for a second, so we change and stuff. Then we’ll explain. But first, I need to be a bit more awake…”, he demanded of her. He saw she wanted to say something, but Garnet smiled at them and pulled her away.

“I’m sorry Lars, they just want me to be safe…”, Steven embarrassedly explained himself. Lars giggled and gave him a quick peck:” Don’t be, I thought it was funny”. Against their will, they stood up and dressed themselves. Well, Lars only needed to put on his coat and style his hair a bit. He didn’t have that high of a need for hygiene any longer. After all, he didn’t sweat or do any other _dirty_ things, _yet_. So really, he never got dirty, just like a gem wouldn’t. Still, he waited for Steven to finish, not wanting to be alone with the diamond’s family.

Together again, they went down the few steps to the kitchen, where the Crystal Gems were standing, waiting for them. Garnet wanted to make this as pleasant as possible, so she spoke first, instead of letting Pearl freak out:" So, Steven. Mind telling us what he is doing here?".

The small boy was uncertain; how should he explain this? "Lars is... He and his parents fought, because of me and now he needs a place to stay. Also, I want him to become part of the team!", he half-truthfully said. He knew however, that he wasn't really good at lying, especially not, if one of his friends had future vision. Before Garnet could dig deeper though, Lars intervened:" We didn't fight because of Steven directly. My father is just an idiot, that's all". Steven just wouldn't stop with the self-blame, would he?

Now Pearl was  _finally_ able to give her opinion on this matter:" Steven! You can't just allow  _anyone_ to join the Crystal Gems. You know how dangerous it is and your friend here is the best proof there is. Also, can't he just go to someone else?". She really didn't like Lars being here, not after she saw him touching Steven like that! Humans as Crystal Gems? Connie had been risky enough, but this one? He couldn't even fight!

"Lars isn't just anyone, he's my friend! Uh... my boy-friend to be more exact! And I won't just send him away, Pearl", Steven angrily, but also a bit shyly said. 

The older boy was happy; Steven had just declared him his boyfriend! He couldn't help himself, but pulled Steven towards himself, trapping him with one arm and pressing him to his side. He'd better make sure Pearl got what Steven meant! He saw her crunshing her face up, but was also aware of Garnet's happy squealing  noises. She apparently was quite satisfied with their relationship. At least someone was...

Pearl ignored Garnet's behavior. She was upset about Steven's ignorance:" He doesn't even know you like we do! Does he know who you really are? What that means for your relationship?". She doubted the human knew. No way, Steven had informed Lars; he hadn't even possessed the courage to tell Connie yet!

"Yes, he knows! Of course I told him. And what would it even change? The other diamonds might try to hurt him if they found out, but they already had other reasons to do so! It doesn't matter, Pearl!", Steven shouted. He was confused; why was she not happy like Garnet? 

"It's  **all** that matters, Steven! You're not some kind of low-rank gem, you're a  **diamond!** One that is supposed to be dead at that! Were you on Homeworld, you would be worshipped like a demi-god. This isn't a joke! You're one of four rulers, who control the biggest part of the universe; you can't just mate with any human and pretend to be one as well!  **You are Pink Diamond!** ", was enragedly screamed at him. He took a few steps back, tears already forming themselves. He- he was Steven- just Steven! He's not-

Garnet was shocked at Pearls outburst. She was right in some aspects, but she couldn't pretend like Lars was just anyone. At least to Garnet, Steven's crush had been obvious. "Pearl,  **stop!** ", she demanded, while putting herself between the couple and Pearl. Amethyst meanwhile was just standing there, contemplating what had just happened. It was waaay too early for this kind of thing...

"You know I'm right, Garnet! We can't allow this- it's too... dangerous", she pushed at her big friend, trying to shove her away. The friend however, had enough of Pearl's rudeness and lifted her up by one arm. She leaned in close to her ear and said, loud enough for everyone,:" Stop being so jealous. If Steven wants to have that boy as his mate, so be it. Or do you want to disobey  _your diamond_?". With that, she let a wide-eyed Pearl fall to the ground, muffling herself with her hands. This would make her shut up and maybe reflect for a while. It was of course quite evil to remind Pearl of her  _position_ in relation to Steven, but there was no other way. Pearl wasn't doing this to protect anyone; she was just jealous for being swapped out for a human  _yet again_.

The diamond was touched by Garnet being on his side and all, but he was hurt immensely by Pearl's actions. She had raised him more or less and he thought she loved him like a mother would! But now, she did only see Pink Diamond in him and not who he really was.

He was pulled into a full-on bear-hug by Lars, who couldn't bear seeing his love so sad again. Why couldn't this go better? Everyone was fighting, it seemed. Just because Steven was, well, Steven and his boyfriend. He knew him being PD was significant, but he didn't care. He wasn't PD's boyfriend, he was Steven Universe's boyfriend! His friend and his mom were different people, after all. Right?

 


	6. Disappointment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars and Steven are disappointed by their families reactions, but also discuss the diamond authority.

Steven decided they had to have some time alone after this. Garnet had taken Pearl away to scold her, but still, they did not want to just stay there. He pulled at Lars' arm and proposed:" We should go to my room, my _other_ room, I mean. Nobody can follow us there, even if they wanted to". Lars had no idea which room Steven meant; were there any secret places in this house he did not know off? As his diamond dragged him to the magical temple door however, he understood. He'd never been in there before, so he did not know what to expect. Certainly, it was not an endless landscape made up of pinkish clouds...

"What is this place? I've never seen something like this before...", the older boy wondered. As the door closed behind them, Steven answered proudly:" It was my mom's room, but now it's mine! It may look empty now, but it can manifest anything we wish for. Just go for it!". 

Lars only wanted one thing, be alone with Steven and relax, which the room promptly made possible. It transformed into a perfect copy of Steven's home, just without any intruders. "Hm... I think this will do for now. It doesn't matter where we are anyway, it's only important for me to be with _you_ ", he explained while ruffling through his friend's hair. 

The latter blushed at that and shook his head; he hadn't thought Lars could be this... romantic. Still, it was really nice. "So... what do you want to do now? We can do anything here, well we can't eat anything, but besides that? Anything is possible. If you want to get out though, be sure to ask for the **real** door", the diamond excitedly stated. Maybe he could have his date after all-

Lars sighed:" I- I think we'll have to talk about this whole mess some more. We can't just pretend like nothing has happened and stay here forever. Let's just sit down and talk". He'd rather do something fun now, but they had to discuss this. There were too many uncertainties. They both went to the couch and sat down across from each other. Lars was careful not to touch his love, as it would just distract both of them. He still was so unsure about all that PD-stuff, so he asked:" What I want to talk about is you, or rather Pink Diamond. Don't worry, you have my  **full** support here, but I need to understand this more. So, what does you being PD change now? There must have been some kind of development, while I was still gone".

Oh, why did he want to speak about this? He wasn't even sure himself! Nevertheless, he understood Lars' intention and was grateful to keep him as an ally  _and more_. "It  really does  change  **everything** , to be quite honest. Well, I'm still me of course, but other things... For one, it means PD was the one to start the rebellion. Also, the war and corruption could have been prevented, if she did not. Countless gems died in vain. I'm suddenly the ruler of an alien species. Don't even ask me, what the other diamonds would do to me-  **I don't know**. Maybe they wouldn't even believe me! Lastly, the Crystal Gems are  _hurt_ big time. They may not show it that much, but they are heartbroken and disappointed", he explained while getting sadder with every word. He wished, he could go back to the way it was-

The pirate intently listened; at least it wasn't as bad as he had expected. He reassured his companion:" It's ok Steven... just don't blame yourself, none of this is your fault, right? It could be much worse, I'm sure. So, what is your plan concerning the diamonds?". Hopefully Steven wouldn't become so self-sacrificial again, like last time.

"Thank you, for not putting the blame on me... I thought about what you said at your parents'; It's not my fault this happened. I'm not responsible for my mom's actions, I suppose. It's just... I'm technically her, I possess her gem, after all. Uh, I don't know, what to do with the other diamonds. If they were to threaten earth or come here, I'd surly try to reveal myself as a fellow diamond, but how should I prove it? My diamond's shape isn't visible at all... I would have to poof and reform to change it", Steven pondered. There was always the chance as well, that he  _would not reform._ Maybe his mom would take over then? He was still so uncertain about all of this.

"Please don't surrender yourself to them again, you know what happened last time!", Lars exclaimed. No way, they would be so lucky again, as to escape  _almost_ unharmed. 

His diamond sighed exhaustedly:" Yes, I know- But what else could I do? Just not say it? Then they would shatter me for sure".

Shatter his love? Lars couldn't allow that. Sadly, he knew Steven was right. He  **had** to tell the truth to have a small chance of survival. It was just a matter of time, when the diamonds would strike. "But then we really would have to poof you... does that even work?", he worriedly asked.

"I don't know, Lars! I'm not an expert on this! If you haven't observed yet, I'm a hybrid; anything could happen, nobody knows", the gem annoyedly exclaimed. Why was everyone trying to get answers form him? He did not know anything! Why couldn't they just leave him alone; he just wanted to be normal.

Well, that was unexpected. "I'm sorry, love. I sometimes forget, that you're almost as clueless as me. Come here-", he cooed and decided to distract them both for a while. There was no use in making his diamond angry now. He embraced Steven, who looked rather offended by that, but really cute with his pout, too. At first, he thought Steven might push him away soon in his state, but after some time, he gave in and hugged Lars back. However, he couldn't end their discussion yet. "I think you can poof. After all, you can fuse with people and resurrect them! There's no way in hell it wouldn't work..:"

Steven looked up at him:" What, do you want to try it? Then have fun explaining the Crystal Gems afterwards, what _happened_ to me. Also, you would have to  _stab_ me! Do you really want to do that?". He loved Lars, but this was beyond risky, if it didn't work...

"If I have to... I'd do anything for  _my diamond!_ Just trust me and have some faith!", he optimistically murmured. It had to...

Steven was- he was really perplexed. All his instincts screamed at him to not do it. There wasn't just the risk of not being able to poof, there was also the risk of being betrayed and shattered, being kind of helpless and all. However, he would surly die once the diamonds found him. So, if he were to die here, he'd at least have a nice death and one without torture or worse. Oh boy, this was wrong on so many levels, still:" I... Lars, I trust you. But you have to know, that you'll have to protect me with your life! If I were to shatter, there would be no chance left for the rebellion. I can't protect myself, when poofed. And please, do yourself a favor and don't lie to the Crystal Gems, Garnet would assume the worst and think you've gone dark. She can see multiple futures; the possibility, that she assumes you've taken a bad one is high and-"

"Don't worry so much, it'll be ok. I love you, so of course I will protect you with everything I got!", Lars said and kissed Steven intensively. Might as well be their last time, for all he knew... 

As Steven let the room summon a weapon and laid the sword in Lars' hands, fear really settled in for both of them. This was beyond wrong... Would it hurt? 

Lars advanced on him like one of Pearl's projections. He almost backed away, but he kept himself from doing so. As his older friend began to prepare himself for the final strike, he reassuringly smiled at Steven. Oh Stars, don't let this be the last time he saw that smile...

It hurt a lot, but faded quickly, as Steven's world became even more Pink than before. Did it work...?


	7. A visit from Homeworld

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious stranger appears?

She knew the second it happened. This wasn't supposed to happen! What should she do now? She couldn't just,  _go there_. It not only would be very suspicious, but also dangerous. She would be attacked for sure. Still, she couldn't allow the diamond to die! She had to help- she had to! How could this happen? She had told the pink gem to be careful, to not trust anyone. 

She grasped at her hair in devastation. If the pink diamond were to shatter for real now, it would break her heart all over again. But she was so far away! There was no way she would be there in time now. She had to protect-

But it had been  _so very long._ It had been centuries, since they had last seen each other. Even, when Pink Diamond had visited Homeworld briefly, she hadn't come to her? Maybe she didn't want to see her... But after all they had done together? She- she would have given up everything! She did! She isolated herself  ~~again.~~ She missed her so much and now she was in danger. 

She fell down to the ground, hugging herself. This wasn't right! She couldn't stay here like this and pretend nothing was happening. Waiting, until she would feel that horrible feeling of- of **shattering**! She would lose her Pink Diamond forever. But, what if she forget about her anyway? If she found another... That had to have been the reason, she never returned.

No... the other diamond would not. She had just been too occupied with her _colony._ Staging the rebellion... it must have been a lot of work. She knew it was, after all, she had helped. Pink  _loved_ her still, she knew.

White had to go.

~~At the temple~~

"YOU DID WHAT?  How could you, you traitor!", Pearl screamed, seeing Lars holding  **her** diamond in his hands. She quickly grasped for it, but Lars pulled it away. "I'm no traitor! He wanted it, I just fulfilled his wish, unlike someone  _else_ ", he angrily shouted. How dare he! She never disobeyed  **her** diamond, this was-

"Pearl... it's alright, he's telling the truth, I _think_ ", Garnet tried to convince her. Well, she was 98% sure he was. She knew this would happen, but not exactly in what context. Nevertheless, she trusted the pink human with her precious Steven. In the end, they were  _totally_ adorable. Just like Sapphire and Ruby...

Pink's Pearl was unsure of what to do. She was jealous. She was the only one allowed to hold her like that! Not some puny human- "HEY, don't hold him like that! You'll break him, you-".

" **Pearl!** I thought we talked about this, if Steven wants him as a mate-", Garnet started, but was interrupted.

"Pah! Steven doesn't even know the implications of that, Garnet! The politics! The- the social norms! It's unheard of- you can't be seriously agreeing with it", Pearl shouted. There was no way, she would let Steven get mated to that  _thing_. 

What the hell were they going on about? Lars was standing there,  **his** diamond grasped firmly. It was quite big and it weighed a lot more than expected; it was hard to grasp with just one hand. Anyway, it's pinkish color was beautiful. He had been really anxious, when he impaled Steven like that. There had been no blood luckily and he had poofed rather quickly. Still, he almost had a heart attack.  _If he could_. Now, what was all this "mate" stuff about. He was sure they knew the proper term for "boyfriend", so he became quite suspicious."Uh, what are you talking about...? What do you mean by "mate"?", he asked.

Oh. OH- Steven did not tell him? Or perhaps he didn't know himself? Well, Garnet was sure she had put the responsibility to tell the diamond on Amethyst. Everyone had had their part in Steven's upbringing, that had been Amethyst's...Yeah... Steven did not know, Garnet concluded. She accusingly motioned towards her:" Amethyst, explain him".

This was awkward:" Uh, well, you know. Gems don't marry, they have mates. It's just a different term, really. Not that  _I_ would know...haha", Amethyst  _explained._ Really, she had never been on Homeworld, how would she? Putting sex ed for gems on her list of duties wasn't Garnet's brightest idea.

Pearl had enough, of course, she would have to explain:" NO, it's not just another term, Amethyst. It's...  _different._ Humans don't marry forever; they can get a divorce. Gems  _can't_. A gem only has got one mate for all of their life, which can be very long. And being mated to a  _diamond_... it is very special. You see, gems seldom mate other gems, but if they do, the lower ranked one gets a higher social standing so to say. IF  _you_ were to mate with Steven, you would be on a  **very high** rank. Right now, you're even below a common Pearl, but maybe a little higher than a normal human. To make it more understandable for  _you_ : If Steven were an emperor, you would be a king after mating him. Right now, you're a little better than some kind of slave working on the emperor's fields.  But even you have to accept, that a slave marrying an emperor would be simply inappropriate". She smiled, proud of herself.

Lars confusedly looked at Garnet, but she more or less approvingly nodded at what Pear said. "First of, I'm not a slave  _like you_. Secondly, if Steven wants to do that, it's his choice, not yours", he intervened. He would like the idea of "mating" Steven. It seemed to be very intimate. Also, the new title was kind of cool...

"No slave? Just  _look at you_. You're not better of than I am, only difference being, that I know of my captivity. You thought him resurrecting you came without a price?  _Think again_. If he really wanted it, he could command you just like me. You're no better than a pink, human pearl. You might want to ask him about that, IF he returns", Pearl smugly added. Maybe that human would finally go now...

"I don't care if I am. If he owns me in gem-terms, so be it! He won't abuse it anyway. You're just jealous, because he'd rather have a human pearl than  _you_ ", he added and went to Steven's bed with that. There was no use in discussing this further. He would lay down and wait for  **his** diamond to return.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapters, I'm quite occupied right now :(


	8. Completing the insignia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WD arrives.

This was more boring than expected. Not that resting wasn't nice, but this was ridiculous. It had been three whole days and Steven still had not returned. He had laid on his diamond's bed for three  _days_ without anything to do other than worry something went wrong. He sometimes played around with the gem in his hands, throwing it in the air and catching it again. That he stopped however, when Pearl had screamed at him  ~~again.~~ It's not like the diamond could shatter from falling down anyway, Lars thought. It wasn't made out of glass or something. Diamonds are  _really_ hard to break. Still, he settled for "cuddling" the gem like a stuffed animal, that couldn't enrage Pearl, right?

He wondered, how long this would take. Pearl said it might take weeks even. Diamonds or generally high ranked gems always took longer than lower ones. Pink Diamond had taken one week to reform last time, but Steven was half human. There was no knowing how long he would take  ~~if he returned at all.~~  

Meanwhile, Lars had become extremely obsessed with the diamond. He had a strong urge to protect it, as he was told to do. He didn't dare avert his eyes from it for too long even. He also felt like... he was waiting for something? Something else than Steven's return, too. He had this strong urge to... to  _serve_. It was really scary. He had felt it before, but not as strong. Like, when they were in his room and he held his diamond captive, something inside of him whispered to let him go. Now it wasn't just a whisper, it was more of a loud demand. 

Even if he did not like Pearl, she was the only one who knew enough about Pink Diamond to help. She periodically came up to look after the diamond, making sure he was safe. When she did the next time, Lars couldn't help but ask about his predicament:" W-wait! I have to ask you something". Pearl felt like ignoring him at first, but Garnet would scold her for doing so. And she really did not want to get on Garnet's bad side even more. She turned towards him and regarded him.

Lars started:" I'm feeling a bit weird since I died. It was only faint before, but now I have this strong feeling of having to  _obey_ the diamond. Also, I'm super obsessed with protecting it right now. I just don't know where this is coming from and-". "I've told you your resurrection came with a price, dear. And I told you, you were no better of than me. You feel like having to obey him, because  _you do_ ", Pearl said annoyed. Humans never seemed to listen.

"I- I don't understand, what do you mean-", he tried to say. This didn't make any sense! "Ugh, you are a human pearl, literally. He commands you, you obey. It's as simple as that. There's nothing to misunderstand", she explained and left. A human pearl...? Well, at least his feelings were explained now. Still, he would have to discuss this with the diamond...

Garnet was anxious as well. She had had visions again... but they were so confusing! In some of them, a gem would visit them today, but she did not recognize her at all. Also, it might end  _very_ badly for them. Still, she did not want to alarm the others, if she did, they would attack the intruder on sight, regardless of what she does. They were already quite stressed out, which made them unpredictable and jumpy. So, in the end, she just let the future unfold.

As predicted, someone visited them in the afternoon. But no gem! It were the Barrigas, who awkwardly stood at their front door and wanted to speak to Lars and Steven. Lars heard them explaining themselves to Garnet who had opened the door. Well, maybe they had finally changed their minds? He was bored anyway, so he might as well talk to them now. He took the diamond and put it in one of his coat's pockets for now, as he went down the stairs to meet his parents in the living room. They looked  _horrible_. Especially his dad looked utterly depressed and couldn't even meet his eyes. Lars made it easier for them and started:" So, what do you want from us? If you want to fight again, you can turn around and go".

Mrs. Barriga gave her husband a shove with her elbow. This was all his fault, so he had to explain! He insecurely looked at her with pleading eyes, but only received a shake of her head. He reluctantly explained:" Son... We-  _I_ want to apologize. It was wrong to not believe in you and forbid you to be with Steven. I'm sorry, just- please come home!".

Come home? Even if they apologized, Lars had no intention of doing so:" Even if I accept your apology, I won't come home, dad. This is my home now". 

Pearl wanted to disagree there, no way that guy would stay here forever, but Garnet made her shut up with one hand, before one word came out.

Lars' mom was a bit concerned her son was just being stubborn:" Lars, please... we promise to be nice to you and we'll be a family again! You can visit Steven all you want, but please, you have to come home. I think Steven would agree here too; where is he anyway?". Or maybe her son was just scared they were lying?

He took out the gem from his pocket and showed them:" He's here, just not in his normal form; he poofed. And no, he would not agree".

What was that thing? Oh...:" Did- did he die? Laram- Lars, I told you this was dangerous! Why do you want to stay here, rather than come with us?"; his dad worriedly asked. He did not want to offend his son, but he couldn't keep himself from saying it.

The pirate chuckled sadly at that:" No, dad, he did not die. I did this for him, but you don't need to know the specifics. You just need to know he's in there and will come out soon. And seriously, even if I was hurt, my diamond could just heal me again. I want to stay here, because I have to. I have to protect him". Hm, some of that sounded really weird, even to himself, but he couldn't stop himself.

Oh stars, did the human really just say that? He can't just tell everyone who Steven is and secondly, he couldn't protect him anyway. It would be the other way around...

"Honey, you don't have to protect him, I'm sure of it. His family can do that for him. Also, I never thought you of all people would use such cute nicknames...", his mother reassured him. Her son had changed so much. She was proud of him for being so brave, but it wasn't his responsibility. 

How was he supposed to explain this, without making them worry more? "It's not a... nickname. Anyway, yes, I have to keep him secure". 

"But why, son? There is no reason to", his father inquired. His son wasn't making any sense! Maybe those gems had hexed him for real...

"Because... because I just have to! There is no deeper reasoning to this, dad! He told me to protect him and I obey! I don't- I don't get what your problem is, I'm just doing, what I'm told to do like I should! Just, leave me be. I-", Lars became louder. His mind was a mess. Realistically, he knew his behavior was not normal, but another side of him said it was! That side couldn't stand being questioned like that, too. It was his purpose to do, what the diamond told him! Wait, no, what was he talking about, he- he wasn't some kind of slave! But still... it just felt right to be one. What was this madness? 

Pearl had enough of this. Even if she disliked her rival greatly, he shouldn't suffer like that. She could only guess, what the boy was thinking right now, standing there frozen up, unable to fully comprehend what was going on. So she stepped in, as any good person would, and explained for him:" Mr. and Mrs. Barriga, your son can't come with you. As you can see, he is clearly distressed by you asking those questions, so stop. The problem he has is quite difficult to explain, as you have no idea about gem culture. Still, I'll try: Steven is a diamond, which we ~~more or less~~ only recently found out. This means, he is one of four emperors who reign all gems. Lars, as you  _hopefully_ know, died. When Steven resurrected him with his powers, it bound your son to him. He is, for lack of a better word, his  _slave._ He can't disobey Steven. Steven would not voluntarily abuse this, don't worry, but he might do it unconsciously. It seems that he, by mistake, ordered Lars to protect him, which your son is doing now. I hope this cleared everything up for you". She smiled, clearly proud of herself again, for rescuing this situation.

It would have been nice, if she had told him that before! He didn't want to do this... or did he? He didn't even know any longer. It was so hard to discern his wishes and that of the diamond. He knew Steven hadn't meant to do this, but it was still quite shitty.

The Barrigas were kind of overwhelmed by Pearls explanation, but after an awkward silence, his father started by saying :" I don't want my son to be enslaved by an alien, how do we reverse this?! This is horrendous!". He should not have listened to his wife, when she told him everything would be ok for his son. It clearly was not!

Garnet wanted to say something, too. She checked all her visions and came to the conclusion:" We can't reverse it. The only way out of this is for the human to die". But she knew, Lars would be ok. Steven loved him too much to hurt him. 

Lars' mom was shocked:" No, we can't let him die! There must be another way-", she begged, but Garnet shook her head. 

As Lars thought the situation was really bad, it became worse. Unnoticed by the others, as they were discussing options to free him, he saw a giant, white spaceship approaching. Stars no... it must have been from Homeworld! There was no one else with spaceships after all! This was bad; the other diamonds were finally coming for them and Steven hadn't reformed yet! How would they explain why he had Pink Diamond in his pockets and Rose Quartz was missing...

"G-Guys?! You might want to see this, there- there is a spaceship and it's approaching us!", he shouted while his mind went haywire. He needed to protect his diamond, but where-

Pearl screamed in terror and realization. She knew the ship. But this was impossible! White Diamond had been gone for ages! She disappeared after Pink Diamond started the rebellion and isolated herself... if she was here now...oh stars! They were either going to die or end up corrupted. "It's- It's  **WHITE DIAMOND!** We- we have to- to run! If they find Steven...", she panicked.

Garnet knew better however:" WE CAN'T! If we run, she'll follow and kill us for sure! We have to confront her peacefully, or we won't have any chance. I'm not quite sure what she wants, but if we play this right, we should be fine!".

"Confront her?! Are you mad? NO, we have to fight! Let's- let's fuse, all of us!", Amethyst intervened. They might stand a chance if they did! Speaking to her would never work...

Meanwhile, Lars' parents were beyond confused, but also in awe of the space ship. Fear set in however, when they saw the sheer terror of the others. But if this was one of the rulers, shouldn't Steven be friends with it? This was weird...

Lars took initiative, as the Crystal Gems could not come to a conclusion:" We'll do it like Garnet said. I've seen what these spaceships can do, if we attack, they might destroy all of Beach City! We won't stand a chance!". 

The others hated it, but they accepted their premature defeat. Garnet and Lars were right, they did not stand a chance. They went outside and approached the ship as calmly as possible, while a tall white figure left the ship. Pearl must have been the most terrified of them. Pink had often visited White alone without her, so she did not know, whether they were close or not. Still, she must have been, because she withdrew even more after Pink's shattering. White was known to be cold, stern and emotionless. She was pure and very powerful, even among the diamonds.

Pearl had been intended to be her Pearl, but she came out the wrong color. She wasn't an off-color per se, but she should have been completely white, grey and black, as the other Pearls belonging to a diamond always possessed their color-scheme. She did serve White for a bit, but only behind the scenes. It was too embarrassing for WD to be seen with her, so she rather pretended to have no Pearl at all.

When Pink Diamond was created, she was given a Pink Pearl of course. There was a scandal however, where Pink Pearl fused with one of the Rose Quartz soldiers and was deemed defective. That's when  ~~White~~ Pearl was gifted to PD. It did not matter then, that she had the wrong color-scheme. WD just pretended she was a very special Pearl and a gift from the other three diamonds to their youngest sister. After all, Pearl conveniently incorporated all their colors. Maybe she really was special? Pearl wasn't quite sure. She always thought, WD only wanted to get rid of her in giving her away.

When they were close enough, White intimidatingly demanded:"Where is Pink Diamond? I know she was poofed, I could feel it! What have you done?". Pearl nervously said:" My diamond... you must be mistaken, you know Pink Diamond was shattered. She can't be here!". She wondered, whether White recognized her even. Probably not, she had always hated her, she thought. Anyway, it was best not to tell the truth. She couldn't begin to guess, what would be done to a traitorous diamond.

White leaned down and regarded Pearl. Being so tall, even taller than Blue and Yellow, made it really hard to see those tiny gems. She knew that voice... "Ah, my former Pearl. Has no one told you, not to lie to your diamond? Hm, but you were always a feisty one, weren't you? Now, tell me the truth!", she ordered. She hadn't seen her Pearl in ages. But of course she knew, that she was part of the Crystal Gems and was in on Pink's lie, so she had to be lying.

Pearls eyes became wide, she couldn't disobey! Even if Pink told her to never tell, White was her original diamond. Her demands had priority:" Yes, my diamond! Pink Diamond is with us, but wanted to be poofed. Also, she is Rose Qua-", she started to say but was interrupted by White:" That's enough! I did not want to hear Pink's life story, you fool! I know it already... Now, why would she  _want_ that?"

Wait, what? She- she knew? Who else did? Garnet was shocked; did everyone besides the rebellion know of it? " **Wait!** You knew of this, how?", she shouted, demanding an explanation from White Diamond.

The latter was a bit taken aback by being screamed at, but nevertheless she explained:" I knew it, because I helped planning it with Pink. That's all you need to know. Now, where is she?".

When Pearl pointed at Lars dutifully, he wanted to run at first. He couldn't just reveal his helpless diamond! He did not trust White, but there was no other way. He pulled Pink Diamond out of his pocket and showed it to White Diamond. When the latter held out her hand, so Lars could put his diamond on it, he however did not. "I won't give it to you! For all I know, you will crush it! Pink is safe with me, you've seen it, there's no reason for me to give the diamond away", he stood his ground.

"Oh, and who are you to decide that, hm? You look like a human but possess her colors... anyway, I am far more capable of protecting her! Give her to me", White Diamond ordered. That little creature didn't know what he was talking about...

"No, I won't! I won't obey you, you're not  _my_ diamond! I was told to protect him and that's what I do. If you have to know, I'm a human, that was revived by PD", Lars explained. Luckily, WD had no effect on him whatsoever. He half feared she would.

Oh, a human belonging to her dear sister? This was interesting! "Ugh, fine, keep her, where I can see her, though. This still does not explain however, why she is in this state!".

Amethyst went on:"That is a loooong story. But, yeah, turns out Rose, uh  _Pink_ , had a hybrid child with a human. For that, she gave up her physical form and now her child, Steven, has got  the gem. Crazy, right? When Steven found out about being PD, he wanted to turn his gem, so you guys could see it's true shape and wouldn't murder us. Yeah, but you kinda came to early to the party. He's not finished yet", she explained completely chill. This whole situation was way too serious for her...

"She...  **mated** with a human?! HOW COULD SHE? How could she do this to ME? She promised-", White was in denial. Pink loved her! Not some stupid human! Was this why she desperately wanted to stay on earth? To- to betray her? To make a fool out of her? She sat down and pulled at her hair. This was worse than learning, Pink had died.

Pearl interrupted her train of thought:" Not quite. She loved him and everything, but she never officially mated with him. Still, the consequence is, that she does not exist outside of her gem any longer...".

Conveniently enough, it was at that moment, that Steven decided to reform. 


	9. Love triangle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is jealous of each other

Ah. Returning would be nice. Being in his gem was just like sleeping and having endless dreams of pink hazes at first. But after a while, he could walk around in it too. But really, it was just like his room in the temple. He did not know, how much time had passed, only that it became increasingly boring inside. When he returned, he would surly be in Lars' arms... how romantic!

This however, was disproved when he reformed and landed on the beach's sand with his butt. He had of course changed his gem's rotation, but also his form slightly. Not by a lot, he just made himself a bit older, so he looked more like Lars' age than 14. He would surly appreciate that. When he confusedly looked up, he almost fainted of shock:" Uh, who are you?", he asked, when a giant white woman towered over him.

She looked severely hurt, when he asked that. Nevertheless, she depressedly said:" You don't remember me? I'm your sister, White Diamond...". His sister...? Oh, so she must already know his true identity. What happened while he was gone? Why was she here?

"Uh, nice to meet you? We technically never met before... You know, I'm Pink Diamond's son and have her gem, but I'm not her. Why are you here, though? What happened?", he tried to say without upsetting her. She was clearly sad he had not recognized her.

A voice behind him, which he recognized to be Lars', said:" She came, because she felt you being poofed. She's in on PD's secret. We were still discussing this, when you came back, my diamond". Why did he call him like that? Last time had only been a joke. Oh stars, he could already feel this would be difficult...

"I still don't get what you exactly are,  _Steven_ , but you are partly Pink Diamond. You  **have to** remember me! Please...", WD begged him, while caressing his face.

This was really surreal. Why was she behaving like that? "I'm sorry, but I seldom remember things from my mom", he anxiously admitted. What should he remember? Please, no more secrets! He gently took away her hand from his face, not liking this kind of attention.

"I- We were really close before you left for the rebellion. You told me everything and I even helped you carry out your plan, misleading Yellow and Blue. I can't believe you almost mated a human... You- she promised herself to me! But I guess, you are not her completely, are you? Still, you have her gem...", White said on the brink of tears, a million thoughts racing through her head. Pink was supposed to be  **her** mate! She couldn't help herself, but touch the gem before her. It was just like in the past...

However, Steven backed away from her, not liking this at all. He had some  very basic knowledge about gem-mates, having eavesdropped on Garnet and others more than once, when they discussed various gem-matters, before he had been allowed to join them on missions. He had enough knowledge to know, however, that this wasn't something he wanted from White;  _he_ did not know her after all. He stood besides Lars now, who looked rather angry at WD. It was understandable, after all, he had told Lars about this gesture. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm not my mom! I don't know you and I am certainly **not**  going to be your mate", he carefully, but sternly stated.

That hurt. "NO, you don't understand, please- If you just spend some time with me on Homeworld, you would surly like me again! Just give me a chance, please! I love you...", she pleaded and cried. This was not how she imagined this at all! Why wouldn't he just come with her and restore the insignia? It would make everything perfect again.

Lars lay his arm around his waist, supporting him. He hated breaking people's hearts, but what else was he supposed to do? "No, you don't! My mom does not exist any longer. I was inside my gem, there is no one to be found! So, I am Pink Diamond, but not the one you know. Also, I already have another...", he helplessly explained.

"Who? Tell me and I'll fight them! I can show you I'm better! Please, you loved me so much, we were inseparable before...", she tried again. She had told her, she was her only love!

"It is me! If I have to I'll fight you, but you won't get  **my** diamond. He's mine and I don't care if you were together with his mom before, they are different persons!", Lars shouted at her. Steven was his! Nobody would take him away, not Pearl, not Connie nor White! He positioned himself in front of his diamond, ready to take anything thrown at him.

White leaned over him, trying to scare him away:" So you are my new rival? So be it; let's fight! The winner gets-".

"NO, NO ONE FIGHTS! If you two fight each other, none of you will "get me". White, just stop. I'm not the Pink, you knew. Also, my mom wasn't really... loyal. Don't get me wrong, she loved you, but she also loved Pearl, some cavemen and my father as well. My mom loved everything and everyone!", he angrily said. This would hurt her for sure, but he needed to get his point across. Meanwhile, he pulled Lars back at his coat. He liked his protectiveness, but he didn't want to have a dead boyfriend  **again**. The latter tried to resist, but after Steven demanded it more intensely, he couldn't anymore.

"I don't- Pearl is this true?", she asked, feeling defeated. "Yes, my diamond", she was answered, by an ashamed Pearl. Pink had told her all these things as well. That she loved only her, that she would mate her some day... but then, she found another. She always kept quiet, as it wasn't in her right to say anything. But, nevertheless, it hurt a lot.

So, she really did not love her...? She felt heartbroken, this was unfair! She had risked so much for PD! Did she only use her? "Why are you doing this to me, Pink? I was always there for you and now-", she cried. 

"Hey... I'm sorry, don't cry! It wasn't me who did this. I'm not my mom and I don't get why she did any of this. However, we can't change that now", he assured her. He went up to her crying form and hugged her neck awkwardly, as she was just too tall. "What am I supposed to do now, I really thought- I've betrayed my own kind for-", she began, but did not finish. It was too hard to admit. "It's ok! Don't worry. You can stay with us for a while and calm down. I'm sure everything will look better tomorrow already", Steven convinced her. 

The Crystal Gems, especially Pearl, were quite unhappy with Steven's proposal. What if this was a trap? Lars on the other hand, was just plain jealous and didn't feel like  _sharing_ his diamond. He would show him, just who  _belonged_ to whom...

"Are you sure? I don't want to invade your colony any more than I already did... I'm so sorry... Maybe I should just go.", she whispered insecurely. "It's ok, just- earth isn't my colony, it's just my home! You don't have to be sorry, I understand, why you came here and everything. Now, can you...shrink down? I don't think you'll fit into my house like that...", Steven asked of her. He would make her happy again!  ~~Without having to mate with a stranger.~~

Also, this was his chance to establish peace, by joining the diamond authority again. He had come up with a plan, while in his gem. He would definitely join them sooner or later. Not to betray his friends of course! He would form a permanent peace and change gem-society. But first, he had to comfort White.

 

 


	10. Stress relief 2.0, now featuring smut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things escalate into another direction for Steven and Lars . Also: redemption for the poor Barrigas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't want to read the smut, skip the part between the two "~~~~".

What kind of people did his poor son live with now? All of them were crazy! Now, this giant woman had made herself small and was sitting on Universe's bed, sulking. The other gems were cooking dinner with Steven, as if nothing had happened! And they were awkwardly standing by the front door. Where was his son...? Dante looked around and-

"Aren't they cute together? Look, Steven even looks about the same age as our little Laramie now! Also, he's got such nice friends", his wife giggled while regarding their son. He had entered the kitchen area and went up to Steven. After looking evily at White Diamond, he pulled the, now not so much smaller, boy towards him and kissed him. The kiss was anything but innocent, as far as Dante could tell. Lars had pushed his boyfriend into the counter and more or less  _devoured_ him, while his hand disappeared beneath Steven's shirt. This surely went on for a minute or so, until Steven pushed Lars away and gasped for air like a fish on land.

This resulted in the following: Pearl and White became a mixture of annoyed and sad, while Garnet and his wife almost squealed in joy. Amethyst didn't seem to  care and Dante himself became extremely uncomfortable. Afterwards, Lars latched himself onto Steven like a tick, hugging him from behind, while Steven stirred the food that was cooked.

Well, maybe  _they were kind of adorable._ Damn it. "Come on Dante, admit it! You're happy for him, too", his wife teased. "...yes", he very reluctantly gave in, which earned him a hug. 

"Honey? Would you and your "diamond" come over here? Your dad has got something to say~", his traitorous wife called. Why was she always doing this? After all, he had technically apologized already...

They were worried, that something would escalate sooner or later again. Still, the way Lars' mom had called them, made them hope for the best. They sat down on the couch, Lars possessively pulling his diamond towards him. Steven was kind of put off by his behavior, why was he so...demanding? He felt bad somehow, for liking it. They had already discussed Lars'  _other_ weird behavior, namely calling Steven "his diamond" all the time and being so protective in general. Steven did not really know what to think of his "human Pearl" as Lars had put it. He really did not want to own someone, but he did not have any choice. They would have to live with it.

"So...", Lars' father shamefully began:" I already apologized, but it wasn't really sincere. This time however, it truly is: I'm sorry. I was just too overwhelmed by your death, Lars and seeing you with Steven out of the blue? It gave me the rest. I just wanted things to be like they were, but that was wrong. I'm so sorry... Lars, you don't  _have_ to come home. Also, I'm very proud of you for standing your ground, you've become a fine man with a very nice, uh,  _boyfriend_ ", he smiled. Hopefully, they would believe him. He couldn't loose his son again...

For the first time in years, Lars  _really_ smiled at him:" Oh, dad... I'm very happy you finally accept all of this. Thank you-", he said and hugged his dad, abandoning Steven for a few seconds.

This was... this was  _nice_. He didn't know he longed so much to hug his son and be a normal family again. Now, he felt, for the first time, that Lars was cold und unliving. Lars had tried to prove that to him before, but he wouldn't even listen. Now, the fact of his death really set in and he couldn't take it. He cried  ~~in a very manly way.~~

"Hey, why are you crying now? Everything's alright!", Lars worriedly comforted his dad, who was crying too much for comfort. 

He was hugged a bit tighter, as he explained:" It's just- Only now, I realize, that you  **really** died, Lars. That I could have lost you forever... You're so cold and you- you don't even breathe! I'm so sorry, I treated you so badly...". "It's ok... I'm here now and I'm more or less immortal, so you can't ever loose me again", Lars tried to sound optimistic.

After a while of silent hugging, his father build up the courage to ask:" ... How did dying feel like, did it hurt a lot? You said it did not, but I think you lied to  not upset us". Should he tell them the truth? His mother was stroking his hair lovingly, even if it was a bit weird with the portal and all. He could not keep this from them:" It... hurt a lot in reality. As I was thrust into that stone, it was the worst pain I ever experienced. I felt my spine snap right in the middle and also a few other bones braking. It was quite  _unpleasant._  Luckily, it also snapped my neck, so the pain... uh, stopped quickly enough". His poor parents, oh stars, his dad was crying even more now.

Well, Lars hadn't ever described his death to be  _that_ gory before. But even if it was quite the shock to Steven, it wasn't too bad. After all, he had "died" once, too now. He could somewhat relate.

Suddenly, Garnet shouted:" Dinner's ready!" and the Barrigas somehow managed to gain composure, alas with very puffy eyes. The meal was nice enough, it was more of a feast really. They could even convince every gem to eat something as well. Even White Diamond awkwardly ate a few vegetables and liked it a little. Only Lars was sitting there, unsure of himself. His mom asked:" Oh, Lars! I know you said you did not have to eat, but you can, right?".

"I don't know. Last time I tried, I almost puked my guts out after a few hours. Maybe I'll pass", he stated sadly. Steven squeezed his hand:" To be fair, you hadn't eaten in months and then ate two whole pizzas. Maybe, if you only ate a little, it would work?". Lars blushed a darker shade of pink, yeah, that might have been it... He surrendered and ate a bit, praying to the stars it wouldn't  _cancel his plans for tonight._

 _~~_ At night~~

Lars' parents had gone home after dinner and White had retreated to her ship.  It was a rather dark night, with only the moon illuminating the room. Perfect. It was only Lars and Steven now. The latter was preparing himself to go to bed soon, but as he exited the bathroom, he was promptly embraced from behind and held captive. "Uh, Lars, what are you doing? Not that I don't like cuddling and all, but at least let us lay down first", he proposed. But he knew, Lars had to be planning  _something_.

He heard chuckling behind him, as Lars lay his hands on the diamond's gem and whispered:" I like cuddling too, but I had something different in mind, you know...". Steven's pulse quickened, as Lars began nibbling at his neck neck. "By the way, I  _really_ like how you look now... all tall and older-looking. A bit risky on your side...", Lars went on.

"W-why?", the diamond asked excitedly. "Well, my diamond... before, I could resist, but now? You're far too tempting~", he giggled. And it was true. If Lars hadn't fallen head over heels for him before, he surly had after his change. When Lars' teasing became too much for him, Universe used his superior strength to free himself and turn around. He wanted to kiss his boyfriend for real! Lars was still a bit taller than him,  ~~which had totally not been his intention,~~ but that was really good. He felt kind of sad, that Lars wasn't strong enough to manhandle him, too.

As Lars became a bit more explorative, he manage to get his diamond's stupid shirt of. Afterwards, he pushed the younger boy backwards, until he fell on to his bed. Lars made a pose, which he thought looked totally intimidating, and said:" Hm, you know, I did not appreciate you flirting with WD like that...". "I did  **not** flirt with her!", Steven tried to defend himself to no avail.

Lars threw his coat into a corner and began slowly unbuttoning his shirt:" Oh? So letting her  _grope_ your gem and hugging her, wasn't flirting? I see... She seemed to really like you.  **But** , today, I will make sure you're ruined for everyone else and that not only the others, but also  **you** know, who Pink Diamond  _belongs to_ ", he promised. Steven totally enjoyed the display before him, but had to say:" Hm, but isn't it the other way around?  _You are mine"_.

"Ah but that's where you are mistaken, my diamond-", Lars said, while having finished undressing his top and started doing the same with his trousers:" That's only for show. Of course, as your dutiful  _Pearl_ , I can't embarrass you in public, no. But when were alone, I can freely express my  _dominance over you_ ". He took his belt into his hands and made an intimidating snapping sound with it. "You see, you'd better  _behave_ or face the consequences", he giggled. He threw his belt to the side of Steven's bed and climbed onto him, effectively trapping him.

~~~~

Lars leaned down to kiss him some more, already beginning to become hard. He gently ground into the boy below him, producing little mewls. He had dreamed of this for so long...

Steven was already on cloud nine, when a sudden realization broke him out of his haze:" L-Lars, mmh, wait!", he begged. The space pirate stopped immediately, having no choice whatsoever to his dismay. "I- I don't know how to-", he started, but Lars already understood. "Don't worry Steven, I've never done it before, either. You're my first as well. But I've, uh, did some  _research_ , so just let me take the lead~", he consoled him. Steven wondered, what kind of "research" his love meant, but just nodded in the end, allowing him to continue. 

Commencing where he had stopped, Lars became a bit more confident and rubbed Steven with his hands, earning him a moan. For a while, he only did this, Steven however, could not take it any longer:"Lars, please-". "What do you want me to do, my diamond? You have to say it", he teased and even stopped his administrations.

As Steven tried to grind into his hand, he begged:" Please, just-  _go on_. Stop teasing me like that". "Go on with what? I'm afraid I don't quite get it...", he chuckled, fully enjoying Steven's frustrated moans. "Put it in...", he pleaded, but was only met by a "confused" look. " **Fuck me** , ok? Are you happy now? I dare you to- aah", he finally exclaimed and was rewarded with a hand  shoved into his pants. He tried to muffle himself by biting into his hand, when Lars pulled down his pants and began to jerk him of.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it? Now, stop muffling yourself or I'll  _tie you up_ ", Lars warned. he wanted to hear every little sound his boyfriend made. Steven was already leaking pre-cum, overly excited at this new situation. When Lars lowered his head however and looked dreamily into his eyes, he was done. His pirate took him into his mouth  _completely_ and didn't even gag. Oh, where did Lars learn this? He had no right to be so good...

Seeing his boyfriend's head bob up and down was really something. When he felt himself coming closer, he couldn't keep himself from grasping at his hair and pressing him down, to pound into him. Luckily, Lars didn't need air or he would surly have suffocated, when Steven held him down with such inhuman strength. As Steven filled up his mouth, he greedily swallowed all of it and then let go with a lewd popping sound. 

Steven was utterly exhausted from this and lazily kissed Lars. It tasted really weird, but it was fine. He felt guilty however, as Lars had not cum yet:" S-should I do it for you, too? I'm sorry, I already finished-". "Mmmh, my diamond, we are far from finished~ This was only the start. I'm not letting you of the hook this easily", his pirate answered. This kind of scared Steven: Would he be even able to go on? What if he didn-, his thoughts stopped, when a finger had  _entered_ _him._ It hurt and not just a little.

"I'm sorry love, but it will feel better later, I promise", he was reassured. And, surly enough, after a while he felt a sudden burst of pleasure from it. He didn't understand why or how, but his questions were forgotten anyway, as Lars assaulted that special place over and over again. Soon enough, the latter deemed Steven to be stretched enough. And really, if he wasn't, it was not his problem. He just could not hold back any longer. Steven had begun to become more confident a while back and stroked his dick, making it way harder not to hurt Steven. 

He looked so innocent below him, it was almost a shame he would ruin him for life. He pulled out all of his fingers and positioned himself in front of Steven's hole. He really had to restrain himself from just pounding into him right away, going slow for his sake, so Steven could adjust. Slowly, the pain faded and was replaced with pleasure again, as Lars slid in and out of him slowly.  _Too slowly_. "Lars- please, you have to go faster", he begged again. "So demanding... be careful what you wish for", Lars warned again.

As he thrust into the diamond quicker, the latter's moans became louder and louder. Stars, he hoped no one would interrupt them... He was close again, but as he almost reached his limit, a hand grasped and squeezed his cock, preventing release. "Nooo- Lars, please", he started pleading, while Lars did not stop driving into him.

"Tell me a few nice things and I might let you cum~", was demanded. Immediately, Steven began praising Lars and telling him how much he loved him, but:" That's cute... Hmm, but I was going for something else. Mmm- tell me, how much you want to be mine", Lars ordered between moans. "Ah- please, make me yours! I only want to be your diamond, no one else's-", he admitted. "Do I own you?", he was asked". " **Yes!** Please, Lars! I'm yours- let me cum", he went on begging. Lars only increased his brutal pace and squeezed harder. 

"You want to get  **fucked** by me, hm?". "Yes, go harder~ I want  _more_ ", the pink diamond confirmed. Why was Lars being so cruel to him? If he couldn't cum soon, he might cry...

Lars kissed Steven lovingly for his honesty and concluded:" Well, if you want to be mine so much, I should better  _mark_ you, so everyone can see". He grasped Steven's hair and pulled his head up painfully, exposing his neck. Latching onto it, he sucked and bit into it, making sure to leave hickeys. Everyone in Beach City and beyond would know, Steven Universe was  **his**. He wanted to _mate_ this boy so much, even if he did not understand the concept completely. Then they would be together forever... He leaned back to view his  work and was pretty proud of himself. He just hoped, it wouldn't heal so quickly...

"Laars~ go on!", Steven ordered, swatting at Lars' arm. For his markings, the pirate had stopped his other movements. He chuckled:" Mmh, yes, my diamond". He finally let go of his boyfriends poor dick, stroking it instead, while slowly, but strongly driving into him. 

Soon, Lars released into his diamond, filling him up to the brim, which let the other one cum as well. "I love you, Steven", Lars confessed, while coming down from his high. Steven, who had cum all over his own stomach and gem, answered:" I love you, too", while pulling him in for a final kiss. 

As the space-pirate pulled out, he saw the mess they had made and decided he couldn't let Steven sleep like that.  He mindfully licked the cum away, at which Steven noted:"Gross. You know, my bathroom's just over there, I could have washed it of". Lars only shrugged and explained:" Didn't want to waste it", while winking. It got really weird however, when Lars mouthed at the diamond's gem. Something was off... Steven couldn't even describe the feeling of it; he liked it, but it also felt  _really_ lewd. 

As Lars finished, he noticed Steven's face had taken the color of a dark crimson red:" Was that not ok?", he insecurely asked. "N-no, everything's fine. That just felt nice and inappropriate at once, that's all". Lars was way too exhausted to care, so he just smiled and planted a kiss on the gem, before putting a blanket on them and cuddling.

~~~~

He held his diamond close, enjoying their time together. But something was nagging at the back of his mind:" Love, I have a question... am I now your, uh,  **mate**? Because, well, I think I'd like that". Steven was surprised to hear this question, he hadn't thought Lars even knew about that concept. But, wait, if he had known- oh no:"Wait, you know about mates? Did you- did you think about wanting to be my mate, while we  _did it_?", Steven anxiously asked, while sitting up.

"Well, yeah. Your family spoke of it once and I asked them about it. And yes, I thought about it. But why do you ask?", Lars was confused. "Obviously, they did not tell you everything. They left out, how to mate, I assume from your question. Lars, gems automatically mate if they love each other, are doing, you know, what we just did and both of them consent. I definitely consented, when saying I wanted to be yours and if you as much as thought about it-", he couldn't go on. 

"Well, maybe it didn't work? How do we even know, that were mated? Shouldn't there be any magical stuff going on?", he asked, secretly hoping they were indeed mated. When he saw his diamonds terror however, he became devastated rather quickly. Had he been wrong too? Did Steven just play with him, like his mother did with others?

"IF we were mated, there would be multiple signs: Our fusion would be stable indefinitely, I wouldn't be able to command you anymore and- there, uh, would be a golden ring or border around our gems. But you don't even have a gem- maybe it's impossible to mate anyway-", he explained, while anxiety was on the rise. He did not dare look at his gem now, if there was a golden lining- he didn't even know how he would cope with it.

Lars sat up as well and turned on the lights, so he could see. Steven meanwhile, was covering his face in an attempt to hide his distress and tears from Lars. The latter shoved the blanket covering Steven's abdomen away and surely enough- there was a golden ring around the base of his diamond.


	11. What happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars and Steven mated on accident, how will they cope with it?

What had he done? Everything had been alright just a few minutes ago and now it felt like dying all over again. Since the moment he knew of this concept, he had wanted it. He wanted to be with Steven forever! But now, the boy was crying openly in front of him, devastated at having mated. Lars didn't understand anything any longer! His diamond had always told him, how much he loved the pirate; he should be happy! Lars felt horrible. He had made a fool of himself, hadn't he? Maybe he misunderstood something for real... 

Steven went on crying, as Lars sat next to him full of shame. Oh, why did he not stay in space with his crew? It would have prevented a lot of drama... But he couldn't change that now, could he? "S-Steven, what's wrong? I- I really thought you would like this as well...", he helplessly started, while touching his shoulder. Was this the end? Would they be mated against their will, suffering for all eternity? He couldn't live like that...

Steven was at a loss of words. What had  _he_ done? He had forced Lars to become his mate against his will, he just knew it! He had probably ordered him by mistake to do it. It had to be! No way, Lars had ever loved him for real. He forced him with his stupid diamond-powers. This was so wrong! He- he had to get away, before he fucked anything up even more!

Instead of getting an answer, Steven ran away faster than he could react. "Steven, wait! I'm sorry! Please **don't** leave me!", he shouted after the boy, who ran straight to the front door. As he was about to catch up, the diamond turned around and- bubbled him?! "Steven! We have to talk about this-", he tried in vain. Steven was already gone.

What should he do now? He couldn't just sit here until morning came and the Crystal Gems came to his rescue. Pearl would tease him endlessly... He had to do something  **now**. He went up to the temple's door and violently ran against it for a while, but no one opened. Great, he needed another plan. Who else could he ask for help? He  _could_ ask White Diamond, but she wasn't in a very good state of mind at the moment. She might attack him, if he explained, why Steven had ran away. Also, he didn't fit through the front door... 

He tried his best to burst the bubble by kicking and punching it, but it only ended with him tripping and falling on his behind. "This is bullshit...", he said to no one in particular. Even if he got out, where would he search? He had some ideas, like at Greg's or Connie's, but he had to get out first! Think, Lars...

Maybe Steven had left something sharp lying around...? No, nothing was to be seen in the kitchen. But maybe inside of his hair! He awkwardly began fishing inside of it, but nothing was to be found. "Stupid bubble!  **BURST!** ", he demanded. 

...Oh. It was gone? What the hell, why did that of all things work?! It didn't matter now either way, he was just lucky to be free again. Still, Steven could be anywhere by now, he had been in the bubble for a good 15 minutes or so! His best bet was to start with Greg. Steven and him were very close and he often visited his dad, when he needed help.

~~Greg's POV~~

Ah... a fine friday night; perfect to relax at his van and play some guitar! He loved this... just him and his guitar; no one to disturb them...

Well, fine, maybe he was a bit  _lonely,_ but he was used to it. Steven only visited him irregularly and not every day, after all. The other people in Beach City also seldom came by. It had been different, when Rose had still been here. He really missed her a lot, but at least he had his little star. Little Steven was really worth it. He was always so happy and tried to help everyone, just like his mom. It was a shame, that Greg hadn't been allowed to take care of him. The Crystal Gems and especially Pearl had pressured him, that they would do that and that they were much better  _parents_.

He hadn't liked it, but they had been most likely right. He knew a lot about gems, but he could have never thought Steven everything he needed to know. Either way, he felt, like he had missed out on so much. 

Steven hadn't visited him in one week or so; it kind of concerned him. Usually, he should have been here at least once. Hopefully, nothing had happened to his little sunshine... The Crystal Gems never informed him. They liked to forget, that  _he_ was Steven's dad and had a right to know, what was going on. They wouldn't even tell him, if his son were trapped on Homeworld. He decided to pay them a visit tomorrow, just to be sure. He knew of course, that Steven might still be a little stressed out, about being Pink Diamond. When he learned of his identity, he had come running to him, asking him a thousand questions. He hadn't  _officially_ known, but he had always suspected, there was more to Rose than met the eye...

Just as he planned his visit however, a familiar figure appeared. Had he really slept so litte, as to hallucinate? Why would Steven come running to him at 3 am? Maybe, he should lay down...

Hm, well, this hallucination was quite vivid, it seemed, as his crying mess of a son bear-hugged him. 

"Dad... I've- I've messed up. Big time", his little star sobbed. Oh no. Either, his son had really messed up and they were all going to die as a result of it or, what was more likely, nothing happened at all and he had to convince his stubborn son of it. He preferred the former; at least that would be easier...

He hugged his son back; did he grow? "What happened, little guy? I'm sure it will be alright", he comforted him, while stroking his back. 

"No, it won't! Lars and I,  we- we  _did it",_ he explained impossibly silent. This was so embarrassing... Maybe it had been a mistake to come here. But who else should he have asked? His dad was one of the wisest people he knew...

 _Did it_...? He suspected, what his son meant, but- it was so...  _surreal_. His little rock-star was so very innocent. No way, he had  _done that_. "You- uh, You did what?", he asked. He probably misunderstood something. Anyway, in shock, he stopped petting his son.

The sobs grew louder. "I- I slept with him, ok? A-and now, were mated and I don't know what to do! That wasn't my intention- it's all my fault", he confessed. 

Oh. So he really...? That was unexpected. Not that he didn't know about Steven's crush on Lars, it was everything he talked about at times, when Steven came over. But he hadn't known, that they had advanced their relationship like that. Also, MATES? Something like that- it was too early for Steven to have a mate! If he wasn't allowed to marry at his age, he surely should not promise himself to someone  _for eternity_! "Steven that's... How could you make him your mate? You're only 14!", he exclaimed. Not even Rose had wanted to mate with Greg, as she deemed him "too young". They had discussed it, after Pearl had angrily thrown at him, that Rose did not really love him, because they weren't even mates. So, he knew what this meant and he did not like it!

"It was an accident! I- I forced Lars into it, dad. I'm a monster...", Steven went on. Now he had done it, he even disappointed his dad! What else would he mess up? Lars would never forgive him for this. And now, that he had his free will back, he would tell him, he was a sicko and that he had never loved him!

"What do you mean? You can't accidentally do that! And you surly didn't force him, how would you? I mean, you didn't-", he couldn't say it. His son did not  _rape_ his friend! Greg didn't think, Steven was capable of such an act. And really, one can't force a bond between gems.

"Yes, I did! He didn't even know, what he was getting into! Also, I can order him around- what if I ordered him to like me on accident? He wouldn't want  _me_ , dad!", he stubbornly explained.

It really was the latter, wasn't it?  This would be a long night, he assumed. Convincing his son of something, was near impossible. Oh boy, now he wished the Crystal Gems would take this of his hands. He really did not want to explain this to Steven. Luckily, he saw Steven's "victim" approaching, relief washing over him. Lars would surely confirm Greg's assumption. "Steven, listen.  You can't force it. There is no possibility to do so! He has to have consented to it or it would not have worked. So, he had to know, what he was getting himself into beforehand".

" You don't understand this dad! I'm a diamond, I  _owned him_! He didn't have a choice, but to obey-", he cried. He should have gone to a gem instead! He angrily pushed himself of, ready to go away. No one understood him! As he turned around however, Lars came into sight, arms crossed. He felt sick and his eyes widened in shock. This was it; Lars would tell him, what a horrible person he was-

"Universe! Why in the stars names did you run away and bubble me?!", he accused his diamond. 

"I'm sorry Lars! I'm so sorry, I forced you into this! I-", Steven started.

Lars interrupted his nonsense:" Forced me?  _What_ are you talking about? If at all,  _I forced you_!".

This was just grandiose. Seems like Steven had got himself a boyfriend, just as stubborn as himself! At least Greg could lean back and take in the show for now...

"No, Lars, you're just confused! I know, you don't really love me, just say it! I ordered you to think you did! There is no other way", the diamond shouted at him. This was worse than expected.

"Of course I love you, you idiot! Did you seriously think, I didn't?! What in the world is wrong with you?", he insulted the diamond. This was ridiculous! 

Maybe he should intervene? The boys were going in circles:" Both of you are impossible! So, what I gathered is: Everyone loves each other and all of this was one big misunderstanding! Just- shut up now and accept that!", he ordered. He was far too old for this kind of excitement. 

When Lars and Steven only stood there in shock of their idiocy, Greg decided to help some more. He shoved Steven into Lars, who hurriedly caught his diamond. "Now, make up already! I'm going to sleep now and if I visit you two tomorrow and you haven't sorted things out, I'll end both of you! Did you understand that?", he commanded, completely annoyed. Ugh, teenagers these days! With that, he went inside his van and loudly closed the door.

The pirate embarrassedly looked down at his Pink Diamond, who was still laying in his arms:" So, uuh... we really are idiots, aren't we? Just to get things straight: I really do love you a lot and I would be very proud to be your mate", he made clear.

Steven blushed:" I love you too, Lars. I was just so sure I had forced you into-", he stopped, when Lars looked at him angrily:"Anyway, I really like being your mate as well... There is no other person, I'd like to be stuck with for as long as we live", he made up for it. Lars shook his head and kissed his stupid diamond.

That however ended in another happy accident: Stars. They were completely put off for a few seconds, especially Lars, who had never fused before. "Ah! What is this? Why are we-", they asked. After a few moments however, it became clear to Stars, what had happened. This was so cool! They had to show  **everyone**! Starting with dad- no! If Stars woke him up, he would end them... Hm, but they had lots of other family to show!

Happy as ever, they ran back home. They were really fast too! Being fused with a diamond really had it's perks, it seemed! Oh, and they were tall! When they entered Steven's home, they had to duck their head a bit. How did they look? They had to go to a mirror!

They ran up to Steven's bathroom, dying of anticipation. Oh stars! They look super nice! Their hair stayed Lars' color, but they had an undercut with longer hair now! They were rather slim like Lars as well. They wore his coat and Steven's clothing, but the colors were changed to light pink, white and gold. The Diamond could easily be seen now, as their shirt did not cover it.

Lars was glad to see the golden ring around it, it did not only look cool, but showed everyone his diamond wasn't available any longer! But they still wondered, whether Lars would have any markings like that. They turned and looked  _everywhere_ , just to be kind of disappointed. There was nothing. When they really looked into the mirror however, they felt stupid again.  _It had been in plain sight all along_. Literally. Stars irises were golden, so that must have been, where Lars' "ring" was. They were very relieved, there was something.

All in all, now they really looked like Pink Diamond! Steven didn't mind staying like this for a while, he loved it and Lars could only agree. This was awesome! Still, Steven was really tired from everything, which influenced Stars as a whole. In the end, they settled to sleep for a while and show the others tomorrow. Hopefully, White, Pearl, but also Sadie would take it well, Stars thought. After all, the proof of their mating was undeniable now, especially to gems.

 

 


	12. Being mates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some people are confronted with Steven's and Lars' bond.

When they awoke, they were still fused! Although they had only slept for a few hours at best, they felt hyperactive. After all, they would have to meet so many people now! Also, Lars had to visit Sadie and his other friends, which he had avoided for now. He was kind of anxious about it, because Sadie might react badly to his new relationship. They were only friends, always had been, but he knew Sadie had a crush on him.

Anyway, they had other people to meet first! They went downstairs and prepared breakfast for themselves. Because Lars was part of them, it was  _delicious_. Steven was able to cook of course, but not as good as his love! While they sat down and ate, they saw the gems exiting their rooms. While Amethyst was indifferent and only held her thumbs up, Pearl gasped and Garnet came storming to them.

This time, she could not hold back! They had fused! Excitedly, she was jumping up and down, while smiling from ear to ear. " Oh! I'm so excited to  _finally_ meet you! I've waited  ** _soo_** long for this! Let me look at you!", she demanded. This was so adorable! 

Happily, Stars obliged and stood up, to walk towards her. Garnet pinched both their cheeks:" Do you have a name yet?", she asked. They smiled:" Stars".

"That's such a good name! I'm so proud of you! Amethyst, Pearl! You **have** to come over here and look at him! He's all pink as well! This is even better than all of my visions!", she excitedly called. She let go of Stars' poor cheeks and hugged him. 

"Garnet, be careful or you'll poof us...!", Stars tried to get out, despite being squeezed to death. "Oh! Sorry, but I'm just so happy for you!", she apologized.

When Pearl came over however, she was far from happy. She had already seen  _it_. While pointing at the diamond she disappointedly asked:" Really? You've been together for like  three days and already mated? Steven, I'm disappointed in you; this isn't something that can be taken lightly".

Garnet didn't even see that! "You,  _mated_? This is awesome~", she exclaimed. This was perfect; now she could die happily...

"Yes, _we_  did! And you know what Pearl, wedon't care! We love each other and that's all that counts", Stars explained. Why couldn't she just stop being so  _jealous_?

"You should care! Lars, I explained to you, what it meant! You only did it to not be his slave anymore! Why else would you?", she accused him. He hadn't even liked the diamond before!

Did he...? NO, of course not! Lars loved Steven, if he had to, he would have proudly  been his "human Pearl". "That isn't true and you know it! You're just bitter, because Pink Diamond never wanted you like this, but rather a human! She is dead, Pearl! Accept it! If you want to, go inside my gem, there's no one there! Just please stop blaming us for something we can't change and aren't responsible for", he shouted.

How dare he? That little... She pulled for her weapon, taking a fighting stance:" **Everything** is your fault! If it weren't for you, she would still be here!". 

Why was she doing this? Why was she hurting him so much? Steven didn't like this, he trusted her, he- Lars took the upper hand:" Pearl, I order you to  **stop**! You are not allowed to speak to us like that and you are definitely forbidden from attacking us!  **Calm down**!", he ordered. He didn't know, whether he had this power over her now, but he just tried. It was better than fighting her.

Immediately, she sheathed her weapon and noted" Yes, my diamond". Then, she just sat down in the kitchen and  _calmed down_ , not saying a word.

"Uh... sorry I did that, but I couldn't let her go on like that", Stars said. If it weren't for their bond, their fusion wouldn't have persevered. Steven was all kinds of confused, angry and sad. Still, Lars reassured him, that nothing was his fault.

Amethyst went up to them and stated:" I don't entirely get her problem, I think you two are pretty neat together. Uh, congratulations on mating? But Pearl has a point, you've did this very early. Just look at Garnet:  _they_ haven't mated yet and they have known each other for centuries!". 

Garnet blushed:" Amethyst! You know why we didn't-". " You know, maybe you should ask those two about  _it_. They _obviously_ know how to  _do it,_ maybe they'll let you watch~", Amethyst laughed, making the others uncomfortable, because she performed some vulgar gestures, symbolizing  _it_.

"Amethyst! S-Stop! It's not that we don't know  _how,_ it's just-", she started saying. "Oookay, I think we'll go now. Bye...", Stars awkwardly interrupted and stormed out. They did not want to talk about, explain or  _show_ them anything related to their mating. Just  **no.** Even if Lars kind of found Amethyst funny...

As they were fighting inside, whether Amethyst was comical or not, they ran into a brick wall. A big, white brick wall. Stars looked up and said in surprise:"Uh, hi, I'm Stars! A fusion of Steven and Lars. Nice to meet you?"

White extended a hand towards them, which they climbed on. She held them on eye-level to inspect them. She was unsure, what to think. "On Homeworld, you would be both destroyed for fusing", she simply noted.

Nervously Stars added however:"... but we aren't on Homeworld, so it's ok, right?". They had not planned to confront  _her_ now. Hopefully, she would take it better than Pearl. They couldn't just order White around, after all.

They had a point. Nevertheless, she saw, that  ~~her~~ Pink Diamond had mated someone. It hurt a lot to see it, but she- she had came to the conclusion, that this  _Steven_ really wasn't the same Pink Diamond of the past. "You mated", she stated matter-of-factly. 

"Yes. Pink Diamond, uh, mated Lars the human. Are you ok with this?", they scaredly asked. They were quite vulnerable up here...

Was she? She wasn't quite sure. Yesterday, she had been so emotional. It had clouded her judgement a lot. But now... she had come to terms with it. "It's ok, Steven. But I hope you know, that the human has got a lot of power now. I'm sorry, that I overreacted so much yesterday. Normally, I'm much calmer", she explained.

 "It's ok, Steven wants him at his side", Stars assured her.

"Well then, so be it. There is something else, however. Steven, we have to discuss, how we will proceed. Obviously, we can't keep up this lie forever", White added. They had to do something. It was all in their best interest, if Pink Diamond returned to Homeworld.

Maybe they should unfuse for this. But why? Because it would be easier for Steven to explain. Lars did not really want to; it was somehow really comfy here, but he did not have a choice. After unfusing, Steven explained:" Yes, I think so as well. I want to join the Diamond Authority again.  **But** , I will change things around. However, I need your help for that. Blue and Yellow would never listen to me".

"Hm, my help depends on your plans, dear. If I don't like it, I won't support you", she warned.

" I want to free all planets with organic life. Also, I want to emancipate all of the off-colored gems and find a way to reverse corruption. That's all", he demanded. 

Those weren't a lot of changes, Lars had to admit. The caste-like system of gem-society stayed untouched. 

"The last two can definitely be done, Pink. But the first one? We can't just leave those planets alone. We  _need_ their resources", White contemplated.

Steven sighed:" Can't we just trade with them? It's not like the majority of planets have life on them; it's only a few! And when we invade other planets, there have to be resources, that we can't make use of ourselves!".

"The problem isn't just that. We have to be careful to not be overpowered by other species, so-", she went on.

Boy, he hated politics. Lars was sitting there, contemplating what to do. He watched the two diamonds discuss, but did not really listen anymore. Wow, Steven was really going at it! If he weren't a space-emperor already, he would make a fine politician. Lars did not even get half of the things they were talking about: war, tactics, economics... Maybe he should have stayed a human Pearl? He hoped, it wouldn't become his job to do politics as well...

"So, we've come to an understanding after all! I'm glad to welcome you back, Pink Diamond. I will make all the necessary preparations and then reach out you!", White Diamond gladly concluded. Blue and Yellow would be so happy!

Shit. He probably should have listened...

Excitedly, Steven hugged Lars, after they had been put down and WD flew away with her ship:" Isn't this awesome?", he asked. "Uh, s-sure. I did not understand everything in detail, though. I'm no politician", Lars lied.  

"It doesn't matter. The main ideas are saving organic life and protecting off-colors", Steven repeated. "Sounds great...", Lars said, unsure of himself.

The diamond knew something was of:" What's wrong? You want that too, don't you?". "Of course! It's just- if you join them, doesn't that mean, that we'll have to leave earth behind? Also, why didn't you demand, that all gems become equal?", Lars pried.

"I did not demand it, because it would never work! Also, equality would mean, that the diamonds would loose their power. And yes, we have to leave eventually. But don't worry, we can return anytime once the warp-pads have been restored!", he comforted his mate.

Lars became suspicious:" Why do you want to prevent  the diamonds loosing power...?".

Oh. "Lars, it should be obvious.  _I am a diamond_. Of course I don't want to loose my rank! Also, if we did that, the whole political system would break down. Gems- they aren't used to changes. They would not be able to cope with it. Stars, not even  _humans_ can! Just trust me on this. It's better this way", he convinced Lars. He pulled him in for a passionate kiss, effectively shutting his mate up.

Lars wasn't so sure about it, but he loved Steven. "I- I trust you...", he ended the conversation. 

"Thank you~ And now, are you ready to meet some people? I'll just text my dad real quick, that we'll come see him later and that he doesn't have to walk all the way here", Steven added, while Lars nodded in agreement.

~~The city~~

It was still quite early, not even 1 pm yet, but still, Beach City's pier was rather full. They had decided not to fuse again for now, as to not overwhelm their friends even more. Some tourists looked weirdly at Lars of course, never having seen someone with pink skin before. But Steven reassuringly held his hand, which made him forget their stares.

Ronaldo was the first to see them and came over to welcome back Lars, even if their relationship was quite  _strained_ :" Hello, Lars. I see you have returned from space?". "Yeah, I've come back a few days ago", he answered. "Hm... So... You are a zombie now? You know of course, that I, as a paranormal investigator find great interest in that! How does it feel, being undead? Has your diet changed? Do you drink blood or eat brains? Can you turn other people as well? Also, can you-", Ronaldo started blabbering. 

"Wow, hold on! Are you recording this again? Ugh...It doesn't feel much different and no, I'm not into cannibalism. And yes, if you don't stop pestering me, I'll kill you and then Steven can resurrect you as well", he threatened. How rude! Ronaldo would find out the truth in the end! He was certain, that Lars was lying. He needed to buy some garlic...

Wait, why was Universe holding Lars' hand? Had the vampire lured him in, so he could drink his blood? He pointed at them:" What's going on between you two?". Steven blushed:" Uh, Lars is my, uh,  _boyfriend_ _"_ , he explained.

Boyfriend? The poor boy, it was worse than expected. He glared at Lars before leaning in on Steven and whispering:" If you need help, call me! I know how to fight of the undead, you're not alone in this! Don't let him near your neck or, uh, brain!". He assumed his original position and coughed awkwardly:" Well, congratulations on your "boyfriend", Steven", he said, while winking multiple times and then going away.

Steven chuckled at Lars' utter confusion:" You know, I like him, even if he comes up with some weird conspiracies". "Yeah, but you will stop liking him once he breaks into your house to  _investigate_ ", he foretold. Ronaldo had done so more than once. Lars had already been accused of being a werewolf, skinwalker, alien, ghost and much more and it really wasn't fun to have Ronaldo stalking him.

~~~~

They kept going, because they had to visit one specific person.  _Sadie_. She was Lars' best friend and she would be really angry if they would not visit soon. Still, they also had to meet their parents and other townies. Oh, and Steven had to tell Peridot, that he was PD. On their way, they met a few of them, like mayor Dewey and Peedee, but they didn't talk much. Lars was way too nervous to do so anyway. 

Finally, they arrived at their destination and stood in front of Sadie's home. "Is everything alright, Lars? Your hands are ice-cold, even more than usual and you are trembling. You know, if you can't do this alone, we can always just fuse", Steven worried, while stroking the back of Lars' hand. "N-no, we should not fuse. It might make things even harder for Sadie. I'm ok; I'm just a little bit scared, that I'll mess it up", he confessed. 

Steven smiled sweetly at him, at which Lars embraced and passionately kissed him. It really calmed him down, having Steven so close. The effect was even stronger, when fused and if their situation were different, he would love to do it. Their kiss got a bit out of control however, as Lars felt Steven fiddling with his belt. He stopped the younger boy, laughing:" I appreciate the thought, but we really should not do that now". He had really ruined the poor diamond, it seemed. 

Anyways, they had a mission! After gaining back their composure, Lars rang the bell. Hopefully, no one had seen them... It took a while, but after a few moments, Sadie opened the door. She screamed in excitement and hugged Lars. She asked:" Lars! When did you come back? I've missed you so much, uh- I mean, nice to see you!".

He smiled and admitted:" I've came back a week ago, but me and Steven had to, uh, deal with some stuff _._ Sorry, I did not come by earlier".

"Oh, it's alright, i understand that. Do you want to go to my room with me? The others are there as well!", she lied. It really was not ok. It hurt, that Lars had not come to her first; after all, she was his best friend! But she understood, that thinking that was a bit selfish. Lars probably had something very important to do- or maybe not. This was  _Lars_ after all. What was Steven doing here, by the way? Not that she did not like him, but he really had no reason to be here.

"Sure!", Lars agreed and followed her. Steven felt kind of left alone. Sadie had completely ignored him! Also, he did not like the way, she had hugged  _his_ boyfriend...

After they had greeted the others- Jenny, Buck and Sour Cream, they sat down on a few pillows in Sadie's room. Apparently, they were writing a new song right now, having finished the text so far.

"So...", Sadie began:" How was your trip back home? Steven told us a lot already, but I'm sure there's more!". "Hm, it was rather boring, once we stole the ship. You know, my crew and I talked a lot about our lives and such, but there was not enough to talk about for the whole trip. Everything went rather smooth, besides Emerald attacking us then and now. The landing was better than expected, too. My ship is still more or less functional", he told them. He didn't know what Sadie expected; it really had been  _boring_.

"Well, at least you were safe then! So, what did you have to deal with the last few days, that just could not wait?", she asked suspiciously. Lars had just made things up; he just had not wanted to visit her! He probably spend all his time doing nothing after his return...

Lars blushed:" Uh... Steven needed some help with gem stuff and I had to pay my parents a visit". He was far to scared, to go into more detail. Maybe this would satisfy her already...

"And that took you one week? Lars...", she accusingly pointed out. She knew it! He had just wanted to avoid her!

Lars looked at Steven, pleading for support. "Yes, it did. Visiting his parents and discussing a few things took a day. Then, I was poofed and he had to take care of me for a few days. Lastly, we had an unexpected visit from White Diamond, who we somehow managed to calm down enough, so she would not kill all of us. Also, I had to negotiate with her", he explained.

"Ok, I understand the first thing, but why did  _he_ have to help you? Don't you have your family for that? What are you doing here anyways? Really, I think you only wanted to avoid me, Lars", she angrily said. 

Sour Cream intervened:" Hold on, Sadie... Why so aggressive? You need to relax~". He really only wanted to jam some more, not sort out any drama!

"You know Lars! He's always like this. He only cares for himself and hurts me in the process! I've had enough of this... He's lying anyway!", she shouted at Sour Cream. Why didn't they see that? It was so obvious...

Steven was enraged, Lars was doing nothing like that! He explained more openly:" Things changed, Sadie! Maybe you would know, if you had asked me! You're no better than what you accuse Lars of;  _you_ never care for others, either! Also, our families were fighting all the time, that's why they did not help". 

"I care for you, it's just...", she broke of. Did she? Steven had a point, she never asked others, what was going on in their lives... Oh stars! 

Lars did not appreciate all of his friends screaming each other, so he demanded:" Will you calm down? Sadie, we are telling the truth; there really was no time to visit you. You're the first I visit now! And Steven, I'm sure she cares about you-".

"No she doesn't, she completely ignored me up until now! Look, they even wrote a song without me, although I'm in the band as well!", he noted.

Sadie apologized:" I'm sorry, Steven, that we didn't invite you. That was mean, but I really don't get, what you are doing here! This is something between me and Lars-".

Lars sighed:"He's my boyfriend". He best say it now, before Sadie says something, she'll regret later. He did not want to find out, what happened, when his diamond got jealous...

Sadie was shocked, he was his- "Since when?!". She would have never guessed, Lars liked Steven like that!

The pirate smiled, but blushed furiously:" Since a few days ago...". He felt Steven grabbing his hand as encouragement. 

"I'm- I don't even know what to say... I'm so sorry, Steven- I-", she began saying. This was so embarrassing! Had she just insulted both of them without reason? She had made a fool out of herself- "I should have believed you! I'm so dumb- I-", she panicked. 

"It's ok, Sadie. I know, that all of this sounded like I was lying. After all, I wasn't the best friend in the past- but now it's different!", Lars comforted her. He just wanted one person to react well to their relationship and his whole situation! As of now, almost everyone was against them, it seemed!

Ugh, Jenny had enough of this drama! Normally, she was all for it, but this was tiring to say the least! So she diverted their attention from that sad stuff:" So, you two are together, hm? Tell us more about it! I want to hear  _everything_ ". Luckily, her plan worked and they seemed to calm down somewhat.

While Sadie was still pretty ashamed of herself, Steven lit up at the idea of bragging about his catch. As demanded, he said:" Oh, it was pretty dramatic at first! You know, we somewhat fought a bit about gem-matters and then Lars kind of just kissed me out of nowhere! However, his dad came in and was super angry, so he threw me out". 

"I didn't  _kiss you out of nowhere_! You were going on and on about me not liking you, so I convinced you of the opposite!", he corrected Steven, at which the cool kids chuckled.

Jenny had to ask though:" Why did he throw you out?". "My dad was just overwhelmed by everything. Don't worry, he apologized for it by now", Lars explained at which Jenny was relieved:" And what happened next?"

Steven went on:" Well, Lars sneaked to my house and we made up. Then a few other things happened, one thing led to another and now we're mates! We even fused!".

Buck was confused. Mates- was this some kind of weird furry-fetish? Universe was perhaps a bit too young for that. He'd better ask:"...Mates?".

Yeah, Sadie wanted to know what that was supposed to mean as well. But she had to admit, they were really cute together and a good match. Better than her and Lars...

Lars elaborated:" It wasn't really planned, but we're happy to have done it. It's a gem-thing: It basically married us for all eternity. Look-", he pulled up Steven's shirt:" You can even see that on his gem and my eyes are golden now. Pretty neat, hm?". He was rather proud to be able to show this of. 

"...For all  _of eternity_?", his best friend asked in shock. That was a really long time for something, that could not be reversed!

Steven smiled:" Yes. Considering, that as a gem, I am immortal and Lars is now too, it only makes sense".

There was something else, however:" What happened to your gem, it looks way different now?", Sadie inquired.

Oh, he had not told her yet! Here we go again:" Turns out, I'm actually Pink Diamond! You see, when Pearl lost her phone, I-", he began filling them in.

Lars wondered, how often he would get to hear that story today... Bored, he leaned against Steven and encircled him with one arm. After what felt like hours, Steven finally concluded:" -and that's how I've found out about it".

The others only nodded, hoping Steven would shut up now. His story was cool, but some parts were really confusing to them. Like all those Pearls inside of Pearl's Pearl... it was just too much to comprehend.

"You have to know, I'm happy for you both, even if I was mad before. But I have another question: Lars, uh, our school will throw a party soon. I am going to perform there and I hoped, you would come too... you don't have to, of course! But it would make me very happy~", Sadie told him. She really hoped, he would come! 

"Uh, I don't know... I'm technically not a student there any longer...", Lars explained insecure. He had planned to never return, to be honest. School really was not a place he liked...

"That doesn't matter! Everyone is invited, Steven can come too! I guess, most of Beach City will be there as well. There is only one problem,  _it's this evening",_ she added. Oh, please let him say yes- 

Steven lit up:"  **Yes** , we will come! This will be super roman- uh, cool! Come on, Lars!", he begged. They would have so much fun! They would dance, speak to their friends...

He had no choice, had he? "Ok, we will go there...", he reluctantly agreed. Normally, he hated being in the center of everyone's attention and with his look, he definitely would. Still, he wanted to make Sadie and Steven happy.

"YES!", Steven exclaimed and kissed Lars, at which he blushed. Lars was the one to pry away Steven this time:"  **But** , we'll have to visit some more people before we go there! Steven, you know, we don't have that much time left here. And we can't just go without meeting the others first", he reminded.

Sadie frowned:" Where do you have to go?". "Being a diamond means, that I'll have to  _attend to my duties_. I have to go back to Homeworld soon. But don't worry, we can visit you and vice versa anytime, if everything goes right", Steven sadly explained.

Jenny did not like this. "Why does he have to come with you? And what happens, if it doesn't go right?", she pried.

"Lars has to come with me for multiple reasons: I don't have a Pearl and I don't want one. Still, someone needs to support me. Secondly, Lars is my mate, so he has to accompany me. Also, he is in a bit of danger because of it: Anyone who wants to hurt me, would go after him first. And let's just hope, it doesn't fail. Seriously, you don't want to know, what would happen otherwise", he told her the truth.

Oh, so maybe he stayed a "human Pearl" after all? He was pretty unsure what to think of it. But Steven would never hurt him, so it could not be too bad...

Steven and Lars talked some more to them, but decided to leave soon. They would have to meet a few people still, however some could wait as they would just meet them at the party this evening. 

~~ At the car-wash~~

This would be an easy one, they hoped. After all, Greg was going to be supportive of them, they assumed. Also, he would be very proud, that they resolved everything. 

Right now, Greg was washing his own van, back turned to them. Steven abandoned Lars for a second, to sneak up behind his dad and surprise-hug him. This ended in Greg letting lose the hose he had held in shock, which then proceeded to splash him and almost Lars with water. "Ah! Steven! You can't sneak up like that on your old man!", he shouted, while capturing the hose and turning it of.

"Sorry, dad...", Steven lied. In fact, he found it really funny, when he scared his dad like that. Of course, he could not admit that... Lars catched up with him, after being sure he would not be splashed, and held his hand again.

Greg saw that of course and smirked approvingly:" So, you two love each other again?". They nodded. "Well, I'm really glad you do. You know Lars, I  **hate** seeing my little star like that. So, you better keep him happy...", Greg threatened. If the Barriga-boy would hurt his cute son, he would make his life a living hell.

Steven might not have gotten that, but Lars very much did. He dutifully promised:" Of course I will! I will do everything I can to make him happy and protect him with my, uh,  _life_ ". 

"Hm, I sure hope, you do. Your whole relationship is just advancing so fast, it makes me a bit scared, whether you thought this through or not", he added.

Lars assured him:" Mr. Universe, I love Steven like no one else. He is the only one I want in my life like this and I'm glad to be his mate. Still, I understand your point. I'm sorry, I did not ask for your, uh,  _permission_ first. But I'll show you, that I'm a good choice for your son".

Hm, maybe the boy was right. He kind of liked him already. "Well then, I'm happy to welcome you to the Universe family! Still, I'm keeping an eye on you...", he warned again for good measure. 

Now, it was Steven's turn:" Dad, there is something else. I've agreed to join the other diamonds. White Diamond is preparing everything right now. We'll have to go back to Homeworld soon, but the warp-pads are being restored, so you can visit me".

"You're  _joining_ them? In what kind of way? You surely don't mean- you aren't going to betray us, are you?", Greg asked, insecure about this. Rose had told him, to protect Steven from them- not to support him in joining their ranks!

" **N-no**! Of course not! I'm using my power to save organic life and bring peace! Don't worry, dad", he made clear. Betray them? Never would he do such a thing! He was no traitor, he would always side with earth!

His dad was concerned. Steven was so young, he did not understand what he was doing yet! If those diamonds wanted, they could easily manipulate him! "Son, do you really know what you're doing? I don't mean to offend you, but the other diamonds have so much more experience than you- what if they are just using you?", he asked.

"I'm sure they won't! Also, White Diamond is my ally and the others respect her a lot! So, I will be fine", Steven reassured his dad. He knew what he was doing!

"Steven- Please, be careful! Promise me, that you will talk this through with the Crystal Gems first, ok? I can't help you much myself, after all", he pleaded. 

"I promise-", Steven said and hugged his dad. He looked really sad, too. He understood him, but Steven was sure it wouldn't happen. 

"So, Mr. Universe... will you go to the dance this evening as well? Steven and I will be going", Lars tried to divert his attention. Steven had made up his mind anyway, it was useless to discuss it now.

The dance...? Oh! He had heard of it! "I did not plan on going, but if you guys will be there, I'll go too. I need to watch my little man dancing after all!", he responded. Steven had never gone to school, so he would never have a prom. This might be Greg's last chance to see something similar! He was so very proud of his little rock-star...

Steven was glad his dad would come... wait, there was more, he needed to show him! "DAD! Do you want to meet Stars? We learned how to fuse yesterday! He's super cool!", he excitedly said.

"Yes, show me! I always like meeting new people!", Greg affirmed.

New people? But Stars wasn't really a person, was he? "What do you both mean? Stars is just us, it's not like he is someone else...?", Lars was confused. 

Steven was shocked:" Of course he is! He's a new person! Sorry, I didn't clear that up for you...So that's why he always spoke in plurals, you must have confused him! He is a mixture of us, but still a bit different! Like our child!", he explained.

Oh, he had just assumed something different. He hadn't even thought about Stars being a  _real_ person. "Hm, I'm sorry then. I really didn't know; poor Stars. Also:  _Our child_?", he said. Not that he didn't like the idea of Stars being their  _child_...

Steven blushed:" Uh, maybe that was a poor choice of words... But, uh, anyways, wanna dance with me?", he quickly said, while holding out his hand, which Lars gladly took.

Greg was amazed! Their dance was really cute and _unexpected_. He assumed, they would do something modern and "hip", but it was far from that. It was more like... a waltz? Greg wasn't really versed in dances, but it kinda looked like one! Either way, Lars seemed to take the lead, guiding Steven along. Where had Steven learned that anyway? Probably Connie, she seemed like someone, who would force his son to dance. 

They looked like they had loads of fun, Steven giggling like mad, while Lars smirked at his partner. The dance ended all too soon, with Lars kissing his son and then fusing.

Stars was- he was really handsome, to be quite honest. Greg smiled at him and said:" Hey there, buddy! Nice to meet you".

Stars liked Greg a lot, after all, Steven and Lars did too! "Hello, uh, Greg?", he greeted him. Hm, was Greg his father? It was a bit confusing, to say the least. Maybe he should really just settle for Lars and Steven being his parents? But that would make Greg his grandpa...weird. He better not think about that now. Nevertheless, Stars went over to Greg and embraced him. Even if he didn't know, what kind of relative Greg was, he was family. 

Stars was really...  _different._ He wasn't a human and not a gem either. He did not feel warm or cold, but lukewarm. Either way, he liked him. "So... Steven and Lars really are a handful, aren't they?", Greg awkwardly responded. He did not really know what to say...

Stars laughed:" Hm, yes they are. But I'm positive, everything will return to normal soon. It's just that everything is new and exciting right now- they still haven't met all the people they wanted to".

"So, do you think Lars is a good match for Steven?", Greg asked. If Stars didn't know, who would?

"Yes. They both love each other a lot. I think that, if there weren't a need for them to unfuse, they wouldn't, like Garnet. Which is only in my interest, of course", Stars admitted. He liked  _existing_. Mainly, because he was constantly feeling _loved_  by his "parents". It was really nice. 

"So, will _you_ go to the party as well?", Greg pried. He did not think, it would be a good idea. There might be some people getting jealous...

"I don't know yet. Maybe. They will unfuse before it, though. If I come to be, while being there, it will probably be an "happy accident"  ~~again~~. Come to think of it, I really have to go now. I need to visit Peridot and Lars' crew. The poor guys don't even know, that Steven is Pink Diamond, yet. I hope, we'll see each other again, soon", Stars explained. To be honest, he hoped he could attend the dance, too.

After they wished each other goodbye, Stars sprinted of to the temple.

 

 

 

 

 


	13. More encounters and a party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stars gets to meet a few more people and there is a dance!

This was really exciting! Meeting so many new people and seeing their reactions was great. On his way to the temple, a lot of heads turned after him. The locals knew, that Stars must be someone belonging to the gems, but still, they did not recognize him. The tourists were completely amazed by him, of course. Still, he couldn't wait any longer. He had to meet those gems and prepare for the dance!

He first went to Lars' ship, where the off-colors would be. The Crystal Gems hadn't yet decided on a place, where they could stay permanently. They didn't mind much, however. Anything was better than where they had been before. 

As Stars entered the ship, he saw them sitting on their chairs like usual, not really doing  _anything_. They acknowledged him entering though and were scared at first: What kind of gem was this? It must be one of Pink Diamond's as it had her color-scheme, but they had never seen it before. It couldn't belong to their allies then, either! It must be hostile!

"Hey, guys!", Stars greeted, confident in their ability to guess who he was. 

He was disappointed however, when they fearfully backed away from him. Rhodonite recognized her Diamond... but how could this be? She had been shattered! She shouted:" Who are you?".

"I'm Stars, a fusion of Steven and Lars! I really hoped, you would recognize me...", he sadly introduced himself. He knew Lars' crew was quite stressed out, but he had not expected this.

She had to be lying! "No you aren't! I recognize that gem, Pink Diamond", Rhodonite accused Stars.

Oh, they had somehow forgot to tell them about Steven being PD... "Steven is Pink Diamond; we've found that out a few weeks ago. Sorry, no one told you. But it's ok, trust me. Steven is still himself", Stars comforted them. 

Rhodonite wouldn't be fooled so quickly! "You aren't a fusion, you're just PD! Also, Steven  doesn't have a mate! What do you want from us, information on the rebels? Never!", she exclaimed. This was a cheap trick, even for a diamond.

Did he  _really_ have to unfuse  ~~again~~ to make them believe? Ugh, Stars didn't want to unfuse! He wanted to  _be_. "No, at least Steven can fuse with humans. Also, yes, he has a mate now. It's  _Lars_!", he tried to convince. Please don't let them unfuse again...

The twins intervened:" Anyone could claim that!". They might be off-colors, but they weren't stupid or naive! This had to be a trap.

" _Fine..._ I'll show you", he reluctantly said. Hopefully, his "parents" would fuse again soon. He wanted to experience earth, but he could not if they didn't! Still, once he had met everyone, it would be alright to permanently fuse, like Garnet, he assumed. 

As they unfused, Fluorite was amazed; the fusion had not lied after all! "Oh! It really was you, captain Lars", she pointed out. 

Lars annoyedly shouted:" Yes, of course it was us". He did not fancy having to unfuse constantly. It was way nicer to stay together with his diamond! Who knew if they, once they arrived on Homeworld, would be allowed to fuse ever again! So really, he wanted to enjoy this as much as possible...

Why was he so angry, Steven asked himself? It's not like fusing and unfusing costed a lot of energy or something. Anyway, they should have foreseen this perhaps. He apologized:" Sorry we just burst in here like that and that I did not tell you, who I really was right away". He threw a glance at Lars- he shouldn't have lashed out like that.

"But how? Pink Diamond should be dead...", Rhodonite went on. This was still rather scary to her. How could she trust Pink Diamond and in turn her captain now?

Steven explained them everything; from how he found out to his plans with White Diamond. There was no use in keeping that from them, either way. They were quite thankful for Steven trying to grant them equal rights, even if they also pointed out, that his plan was dangerous and could fail easily. After all, almost everything depended on White Diamond- she could easily extort the other Diamond. In the end though, they tried to stay optimistic.

Fluorite asked then:" So, captain Lars... You finally got together with him?". Steven became interested:" What do you mean,  _finally_?". Had they known something, he did not? He looked towards Lars, who was standing close to him and turned a dark pink.

"Well... The captain always talked about you with us. About how much he lo-", she commenced, but was interrupted by an embarrassed Lars:" N-no, I didn't!". Steven wasn't supposed to know  _that_. 

The twins chuckled:" Yes, you did! You went on and on about loving him. It was really, really cute~", she betrayed him. 

The diamond could not help himself, but embraced Lars:" Oh, Lars! You  _are_ adorable... You should have told  _me_ that". 

The captain blushed even more- he had an image to keep after all! He was a fierce space-pirate, not a love-sick girl! He had to stop this! "I'm not cute... You are! And if you're not careful, you'll regret it this night~", he threatened. Maybe, he would tie him up after all...

Steven wasn't that naive, as to not understand, what was implied here:" Yeah? Don't forget, just **who** you are talking to, love". He could play this game as well! And surely, if he wanted to, he could overpower Lars.

Did he just- threaten him? "Pah! It's not like you could command me any longer, even if you wanted to, _my_ _diamond_! Yesterday, you were the one to _beg_ , when I-", Lars made fun of him, but quickly stopped, when he saw  the either confused or embarrassed expressions on his crew's faces. "-uh... I think, we should go now. Bye!", he quickly exclaimed, before making a fool of them even more. Why did he always say these weird things? 

He pulled Steven outside. His little diamond would pay for shaming him like that! Lars had the most vivid plans already-

Pink Diamond snorted, he really loved his mate. Lars' cheeks were still a dark pink now, making it obvious, what he was feeling. "You see, this could have gone way worse. I think it was pretty funny", Steven pointed out.

" It could have gone a lot better, too! But of course it's funny to you, you weren't made  _fun of_ ", Lars claimed.

"No one made fun of you!", Steven noted. Sometimes, his pirate was rather insecure, even after his revival.

"Sure they didn't! Just know, you'll pay for this, Universe~", Lars reminded him, at which Steven only shook his head.

"Sure; have fun  _subduing_ me, if you can. But don't get upset, if I bubble you again. Anyway, we have to go and meet Peridot now", Steven laughed at him. He would show Lars, what he thought of his  _threat_. Normally, he wasn't really, uh,  _dominant_ , but he would do it, just to tease his mate a little. How did he get out of the bubble anyway? Steven assumed, he must have had help from Garnet or someone else. One couldn't get out of it so easily alone.

Yeah, hopefully he would try bubbling him, so he could see his stupid face, when he got out. Lars assumed, that being Pink Diamond's mate had more perks, than they had assumed. He could just break the bubble by will and he had achieved to command Pearl. To be fair, it had been while fused, but he could  _feel_ having more powers now. He'd need to try around some more...

Anyway, he had never met that Peridot before. Steven had praised her a lot, especially her intelligence and cuteness, so he hoped, she wouldn't give them any problems. His diamond had told him though, that she was very  _fond_ of the diamonds, so she should not react too badly. As they went inside, Garnet was sitting at the bar with Amethyst, while Pearl  _calmly_ sat on the couch. They quickly waved at them, before heading to the... bathroom? "Uh, I thought, you wanted to meet Peridot...?", he asked.

"Yes, she lives in my bathroom right now. She wasn't here in the last few days, because she went inspecting property for farming. She really likes plants, you see. But she wanted to return today, so maybe she is already here", he explained.

Lars didn't question anything anymore. All of this was crazy... but at least it was fun. If they wouldn't leave anyway however, he would have convinced Steven to get another place for her. He did not like weird women living in their bathroom. Also, he did  ** _not_** want to get  _interrupted_ during any  _activities_ by her. Gross!

As they went inside, Steven greeted a green mass in his bathtub:" Hey Peridot, nice to see you again! I'd like to introduce you to someone".

A head perked up to inspect Lars carefully, afterwards it said:" Hello, Steven. You know I don't like strangers in _my_ bathroom. Make it go away".

Typical. " _Peridot-_ He's no stranger! It's Lars!", Steven noted.

She leaned her head to the side questioningly:" Lars... What kind of specimen is he?".

Lars explained:" A human...? Well, to be fair, I'm undead. Steven resurrected me with his magic". He didn't like her. 

"Hm, interesting. I'll have to research this person further. Are we finished?", she asked, while laying down again.

The diamond really loved Peridot, but she was just so... unintentionally rude sometimes! "No, we are not. There are two more things. Firstly, Lars is my  _mate_ , that's why I'm introducing you to him and-", he began.

"MATE? What do you mean by  _mate_? Steven! How could you mate a human?", Peridot said in shock. 

Lars growled:" Yes, I am his mate. Do you have a problem with that?". Great, another one, that was against them! He went closer to the bathtub, crossing his arms and towering over her aggressively. 

While making herself small, she defended herself:" N-no! I'm h-happy for you! It's just- I did not think this was possible! Also, matings are really rare nowadays. It's more of a romantic, but ultimately almost forgotten tradition!".

Steven wanted to know more:" It's not done any longer?". "No, as- as it is kind of useless, normally. On Homeworld, you can only mate your sister-gems anyway, so neither would gain anything from it", she explained.

Lars was offended:" I did not do it to gain anything from it. I just want to show my love for Steven, that's all". 

"I did not say that you did! I- I'm very  _happy_ for the both of you", Peridot assured him. She had to make this pink human her friend, or Steven would not like her anymore! 

He prayed, she wasn't lying. "There is something else, Peridot. I'm not Rose Quartz", he started saying.

"Of course you aren't! You are Steven!", Peridot beamed. She had learned, that Steven did not like being seen as his mom. This would solidify their relationship!

"Uh, yeah. That's not what I meant though. Look at my gem", he demanded, while pulling up his shirt. Here we go-

What was he going on about? He had already confirmed having a mate, so the gold did not surprise her- WAIT. "Pink Diamond?!", she shouted. This- this was impossible...

"Yes, Peridot. I am Pink Diamond, she never was shattered. It was all a lie. But this doesn't change anything, right?",  he inquired. But this was Peridot, of course she would overreact! 

"... I don't- If you don't want anything to change, it won't. You are Steven! I don't care  _much_ about your gem. Still, I, uh, could behave appropriately, if you wanted me to...  _my diamond_ ", she said, insecure about how to react. Maybe Steven wanted to be treated like a diamond? She could do that, with pleasure even, but she could also ignore it. She only wanted to please her best friend.

"Thank you! You are one of the  **first** to take this relatively well. Please, don't  _behave appropriately._ I'm only Steven to you here. Well, uh, if we are at my court, you probably should not call me that", he thanked her. He had not foreseen this at all.

"At  _your court_? You don't plan on-", she asked unsurely. 

"Yes. I will return to Homeworld soon. But don't worry, I'll protect you from Yellow Diamond", he winked:" It will be fine, but I have to return. I have to use my power to help earth, but also Homeworld itself".

"Oh... I know which court I'll move to, then! Just be careful, ok?", she warned him, too.

He nodded. Why was everyone so concerned? He would be able to do this! He trusted White and he was not so naive, that he would let himself be abused by the others.

After this conversation, they went downstairs. Steven wanted to check on Pearl, but Garnet said, she would be fine. "But Garnet, I can't leave her like that!", he pressured.

"Steven... There aren't a lot of other choices. If you let her, she will just attack you. I know of your  _other_ plans. So, you could either take her as  _your_ Pearl or...  _give her back_ ", she proposed. She had to admit; none of the choices were very good.

"I don't want her like that. It just feels wrong, also, I have Lars. And I don't know, whether it would be alright to give her to White. She should not be a slave...", Steven pondered:" I only want her to be happy".

"Why don't you ask her, what she wants?", Garnet asked. Then they would know for sure. 

Steven nodded and went towards Pearl, who was still  _calming down_ , as ordered by Lars. "Uh, hey Pearl! I have to ask you: What would you choose for yourself? I  **order** you, to tell the truth". He hated this... it felt so very wrong to do this.

Pearl wondered. She only wanted to get away from Pink Diamond and the humans. She had enough of this. She truthfully answered:" I'd like to get away from you, my diamond. If that means going back to my former diamond, so be it". 

Steven looked helplessly at Garnet. What should he do? He didn't know- he-

"She's going back to White Diamond", Lars decided for him bitterly. It was no use, keeping her here like this. Also, he disliked her, so she might as well  _suffer_ , for insulting both of them. Perhaps she would even be happy with her diamond? 

Garnet was quite amazed, at how the human behaved:" You can't decide for him, Lars". She loved them quite a lot and maybe that clouded her judgement a little, but it was dangerous to let him take the lead, she  _knew_. In visions she had seen, just what could happen if Lars were to take the upper hand and she did not like it even a little. He was a great boy, but there was a  _desire for power_ in him, which could prove fatal.

"No, it's ok. I-it's probably best for everyone. When White returns, I'll give her back", Steven assured her. He trusted Lars. 

Amethyst, who had been silently watching on, was impressed. She wasn't a big Pearl-fan, but this was a bit crazy. Steven just- gave her away? Maybe there was more diamond in him, than they had assumed... But he kind of had a point, it could not go on like this. Pearl could not "calm down" for eternity. Still, there had to be other options... But Garnet would know! Ugh, she best not think about this any more. It made her all dizzy...

~~The evening~~

Steven was so excited! They would soon go to the dance of Lars' school! He had even put on something special- his pink shirt! Lars meanwhile hadn't changed at all, but had at least showered. He had not showered in  _months_ and even though Lars had tried to convince Steven, he could not get dirty anyway, he had been forced to clean himself. They had to look pretty! After all, Steven had to brag about his cool new boyfriend!

When Lars exited the bathroom, Peridot angrily went inside her  _home_ again. Stupid human...

The pirate took in Steven's attire:"Pink, huh? I like it~". He went over and kissed Steven's forehead, before making sure, Steven looked perfect. 

Steven was excited:" I've never been to a school dance before, will it be nice?", he asked.

"I don't know. I only went there once, but that was years ago, when Sadie and I were in like... grade seven? I was a bit uncomfortable there, because I was scared to dance, to be honest", Lars admitted.

"But you can dance so well! You will dance with me, won't you?", Steven pleaded. He himself had learned dancing from Connie. She had told him, that it was very important to have that skill and she was right.

Lars blushed:" Yes, I will. Also, I couldn't dance that well back then. I only learned it over the years, because my mom forced me to go to some stupid lessons".

"You take lessons in dancing?", Steven was amazed. How many other secrets did his mate have?

"Yeah... but don't tell anyone! Also, I haven't since the kidnapping, obviously", he explained. Before his love could pester him any more, he kissed and embraced him, which earned them excited, happy noises from Garnet downstairs. So cute!

She had watched them this whole time? He hoped, Steven would have some more privacy on Homeworld. Suddenly, Lars' phone rang. "My dad calls me, wait a sec", he informed his diamond.

"Hey, honey! I just wanted to ask you, whether you and Steven would want to go to a restaurant with us this evening. We thought, it would be really nice for family-bonding and all", his mother asked. "Uh, normally we would love to, but today's my school's dance-party and we want to go there-", Lars turned her down.

"Oh... I did not even know, there was a dance today!", she added. "We only found out this morning as well. But, you could go there as well. Everyone can come", Lars optimistically said.

"I don't know, we don't want to embarrass you. We can just go out tomorrow as well...", she proposed. "I don't think, it will work. Steven and I, we might have to, uh,  _leave_ by then. Don't worry, you are welcome there. You might even see my dancing lessons paying of", Lars convinced her. Really, they might already be on their way to Homeworld then. Sadly,  _other_   _ships,_ that weren't broken, were way faster than his.

"Yes! We'll come, but promise me, you won't pretend to not know us again", she pleaded. "I won't! See you later, mom", he ended the call.

"Your parents are coming, too? That's awesome!", Steven exclaimed. Lars only nodded and gave Steven one last kiss, before going outside. 

~~At the school~~

They could hear the dance's music from a mile away, it seemed. Sadie had been right after all, half of Beach City was there! This would be interesting...

Lars saw so many students and teachers, he had never thought to see again. Many looked at him disapprovingly. Either it was because of his pinkness or because of the way he had behaved prior to his disappearance. He did hope it was the latter.

They went to the school's atrium, where the party mainly took place. It was a giant, rectangular room with a big stage on one side, where Sadie and others would perform. Around the dance floor in the middle were tables to sit down at. Coincidentally, the decor was a mixture of pink and white, with balloons and flowers  _everywhere_. Lars assumed, that mainly girls had planned the decorations...

There were already a few people dancing in the middle, but only a few he knew. He definitely saw Jenny and Sour Cream dancing and Steven recognized Kevin there as well.

"So", Steven started:" What do we want to do first?". "Let's search for Sadie backstage, show her some support or something", Lars proposed. He was a bit anxious to dance with so little people there, so he might as well waste some time.

As they went behind the stage, they quickly found Sadie. She was wearing a light-blue dress, which suited her very well. Lars got her attention:" Hey Sadie!".

She turned towards them and smiled:" You really came! I'm so excited!", she exclaimed. She went over to them and hugged them both. "When will you perform?", Steven asked her. "In an hour or so. Ah! And Steven, I've seen Connie here too before! I don't know where she went, however. Maybe you'll bump into her. Anyway, I really have to warm myself up now", she told them, before making them go away.

Lars wondered:" Uh, does Connie know about... _anything_?". "She knows, who I am, yes. While she doesn't know, we're together yet, she knows, that I  _like you a lot_. So, it should not surprise her much", the diamond concluded. 

They talked a while about various things then, but soon, the hall filled more and more and Lars became confident:" Do you want to dance with me now?", he asked him.

"Of course! We'll just have to be careful, not to fuse. I don't think, that a lot of people would react well. Also, you don't have to dance. I don't want to force you-", Steven agreed insecurely. "You're not forcing me. And if someone looks funny, they are idiots. Let's go", he assured him. Well, Lars wasn't so sure about all of this, but he did this for his diamond. Of course, some people would look at them, but it would be alright,  ~~he hoped~~.

They went to the dance floor, while some pop and techno was playing, so they just danced how they wanted to. Maybe they should have taken Garnet with them, she would have liked this music, as well! As foretold, some of Lars' former classmates were rather irritated at him being present, but they did not mind. It was a bit awkward at first, but soon, they were talking casually, while dancing. They didn't really dance so close, that it would arouse suspicion about their relationship. Right now, they could be mistaken for friends. But that really was the music's fault.

Soon, a girl from below Lars' grade went on stage and began performing a couple of rather slow and heartfelt songs about love, making several people flee from the dance floor. Only a few stayed, among them Kevin and one of his newest victims, a few couples and, of course, Steven and Lars. 

Kevin of course, recognized Steven and turned towards him:" Where's your girlfriend? Oh! You found a new one already! I haven't taken you for someone, _like that_ ~", he mockingly glared at Lars. Afterwards, he grabbed his girl by her bottom, pulling her towards him and beginning a slow dance. Lars became angry and almost wanted to punch him in the face, but luckily, Steven diverted his attention. "Just ignore him, he's an idiot. Dance with me?", he asked happily. Lars had known Kevin for years, they were in the same grade. When they were younger, Kevin had not been like this, he had been rather nice actually. Lars wondered, what had happened to him.

Lars lay his arms around Steven's waist, while the latter encircled his neck, as they swayed from side to side. Lars had forgotten about the idiot from before already, as he enjoyed this far too much. He felt a lot of eyes on them, but decided not to care. 

Steven looked up at him, beaming with joy:" Thank you so much for this... I never thought, I would get to experience this. Thank you-", he repeated. Lars only smiled back:"Anything for my diamond~", he whispered. When he looked up again, he saw his parents waving at him, his dad making a thumbs-up motion. Still, he also saw those stares again...

"What's wrong?", Steven asked him, after his love had frowned. "It's just- so many people are staring at us... I wish, they would stop", he admitted. He had tried to ignore it, but now he felt all eyes on him. He thought, he had gotten over this! Maybe he wasn't such a fearless pirate after all...

"Do you want us to stop?", Steven sadly, but understandingly asked. He did not like his mate suffering... Lars, shook his head slightly. Steven had an idea. He pulled his mate down a little, kissing him, while dancing. This might distract Lars enough!

Oh, he had to give Steven credit, he was creative in his problem solving. Still, they could not go on like this forever, poor Steven needing air. Lars didn't like feeling... insecure like this. In space, he never had been, but this wasn't space! 

Steven was worried about him:" Still not better?". Lars shook his head:" No, I'm just-".

Kevin intervened:" What's wrong, pink-boy? Regretting your choice? Well-", he pushed away his date rudely and extended his arm:" How about you dance with Kevin?! You won't regret it. And, I can put your  _mouth_ to better use than him~". While his girl ran away crying, he did not seem to care one bit. What a moron...

Lars was- paralyzed. He didn't know what to do. His instincts were telling him two different things: Run away from the stares and beat up Kevin! What should he-

Steven was enraged, why did Kevin always mess everything up for him?  ~~He seriously considered putting him in his zoo, now~~. He saw, that Lars was kind of confused beyond return right now. They were just standing there, glaring at Kevin. 

"What? Do you have such low standards,  _Lars_? You could do so much better! Come here~", Kevin demanded aggressively. He would teach Universe, not to mess with him! 

Lars let go of Steven and the latter feared the worst- he  _would not_  do that, right? He would not go over to Kevin and dance with that guy... 

How dare he insult his diamond? Lars swiftly moved towards Kevin, swatted his arm away and leaned towards his ear. Whispering, he threatened:" You will leave now or pay for it. Don't you ever dare to come close to me or my mate  _ever_  again".

Kevin at first wanted to push him away and laugh at him, but when he felt something  _pointy_ at his side, he did not. Barriga had used his coat, to shield of his arm from prying eyes, while holding a rather long knife. His eyes went wide- Where did he get that from? He wouldn't...?!

"U-uh-", his enemy could only stammer in fear. Lars withdrew his knife, hiding it in his hand, before casually stroking through his hair once with the same one. Like some kind of cheap magician, he revealed his hands to be empty afterwards to Kevin. The latter awkwardly, but slowly went backwards a good distance, before turning around and running away in utter fear. What was this town? Was everyone here mad? He had to get away.

Lars turned around gracefully again, facing Steven and extending his hand, which was gladly taken. Steven wondered however:" What did you tell him? I've never achieved to get him to go away". 

"Uh, you know- told him, we would beat him up real bad", he half-lied. Lars had taken the knife with him, after he had been trapped in the bubble. He had to be prepared; he could not let his diamond get hurt! 

"Hm, I'm not into violence, Lars. Please don't threaten others for me. There have to be better ways. But thank you nonetheless-", Steven berated him, before kissing his mate. 

Finally, they could dance in peace for a while. Lars even forgot about the stares for a while, because he felt like being able to fight of anyone right now! "I really feared, you would dance with him before", his diamond admitted. "Dance with that guy? Why would I?", Lars asked jokingly.

"You know he has a point,  _you could do better_ ", Steven explained sadly. There must have been at least fifty people in this room alone, who would be a better mate for Lars. 

The pirate couldn't believe what he had just heard! He stopped dancing and took Steven's face into both hands, making him look at Lars. "Are you crazy?! No, I could  **not**! You're the best person I know  and you are an  _emperor_! Who could top you?", he asked bewilderedly. 

Steven laughed:" You could~". Lars was confused for a few seconds, but chuckled when he got the innuendo. He kissed his little diamond and said:" I  _will_ if you don't stop teasing~ Now, we should go to my parents, they surly want to chat with us".

As they went over, his mom already extended her arms to invite him for a hug, he gladly took. "Honey, you were so cute together! Now you surly are glad, you've taken those lessons!", she exclaimed.

"Thank you, but you haven't even seen our best performance yet!", he assured her. 

His dad was next to speak:" So, son. Why do you and Steven not  _want_ to go out with us and eat?". He really did not understand. With Lars not going to school, they should be able to spare some time for them! But perhaps they were a bit reluctant to, because of how he had behaved...

"Mr. Barriga, it's not that we don't want to, we'd love to! Still, we will probably be on Homeworld tomorrow already-", he stated, but went on, when he saw their confused glances:" Homeworld is where the gems live. Because I am one of their leaders, I have to return to them and Lars as my mate and  _advisor_  has to come with me. But I promise you, you can visit us and then you'll eat at my court with us!". 

Lars quickly added, before his parents had a chance to overreact or pry further:" I should probably mention, that being  _mates_ means, that we are more or less alien-married now. Uh, but don't be concerned! I wanted to do this and I want to stay with him there. Sorry, that this is all going so fast, but we can't waste any more time".

His mom fell into his arms:" You married? Was there a ceremony? Why didn't you invite us? Now I'll never get to see my baby at the altar...", she cried. She was so proud of him, though! 

Lars blushed:" There, uh, wasn't a ceremony  _per se_. Nothing you would have wanted to see, at least", he tried to convince her.

Per se? "What do you mean, boy? Either there was one or not. How would you be married without one? I don't understand...", his father asked. Teenagers were always so complicated!

He awkwardly coughed:"  _Mating_ doesn't involve a real uh ceremony. Oh stars... It's done by, uh, having  _intercourse_ ". Please don't let them ask more...

"Oh", his mother simply noted. Well- she should have expected it sooner or later... 

"Son... he can't get pregnant, right...? With him being an alien and all...", his father asked. Not that he didn't  _want_ any grandchildren, but it was too early for it. He couldn't trust his son here; After all, he had married this boy after  **one week**. 

Could he...? Oh stars, please no! He couldn't raise little space-emperors! He wasn't suited to be a father! Lars glared at Steven-

The diamond chuckled:" In  _theory_ , it is a possibility. But I would literally have to die for it to work, because any children would need  _my_ gem. So no, we don't and won't get any children in the near future. The only  _child_ we have is Stars, our fusion. You'll surely meet him sooner or later". 

Dante was relieved:" Well then, at least this is out of the way. I was really concerned there".

While they talked a bit, someone else had appeared behind the couple. Connie and Greg! Connie had met Steven's father on accident, not expecting him to be present at all! When she was told, that her best friend was here, she just had to find him as well, so she decided to follow Greg. This party was totally weird; even Kevin had been there, but he ran past her crying for some reason... Anyway, she went to Steven and hugged him from behind, momentarily scaring him.

As he turned around, she had to know:" What are you doing here?Had I known, we could have gone togeth-", she started, but stopped, when she saw Lars angry look:" Is something wrong?".

Steven turned towards Lars in time to see his expression, and punched him lightly in his side:" Yeah, sorry I didn't tell you. No, nothing's wrong, Lars is just being jealous".

Jealous? He wasn't jealous! He was just-  _uh-_ ok, he was  _jealous_. 

"Oh, Lars. Nice to see  _you_ here as well. Why would you be jealous...?", she asked in confusion. It's not like he was Steven's best friend or something! Of course, she knew of Steven's crush, but there was  _no_ way, his feelings were returned. First of, Lars wasn't  _gay_ , secondly, he hated Steven! Only problem was, her best friend, being a little naive, didn't know that.

"Oh, uh-", Steven blushed, as Lars put an arm around his shoulders:" We are boyfriends now". 

"WHAT? NO WAY!", she exclaimed. They had to be joking!

Lars became irritated:" What do you mean,  _no way_? Any moron could have seen, that there was something going on between us". She did not believe him, he knew. He had never really liked her. She was  _competition_  in every aspect: If she could, she would have mated  _his_ diamond and she would also try to join him on Homeworld! Seriously, if she tried that, he would tell her to  **fuck of**. Also, she thought she was perfect, didn't she? With her perfect grades, while he failed school, and being the first to fuse with  _his_ mate. He would teach her... stupid child...

Connie was kind of taken aback by his hostility. He really was jealous! "No, no one could have told! You didn't even like him before", she accused him. She doubted, Lars was a good match for her best friend. He was bad influence...

" _Obviously_ , I did that to hide my true feelings, as I was insecure about it", he growled. Not so intelligent after all...

"Uh, ok...? Well, I'm happy for you,  _I guess_. Now, Steven, do you want to dance with me? I don't have any other friends here and-", she changed the topic, trying to deescalate the situation.

However, Lars was really suspicious:" -and what? You want to fuse with him? Sorry to disappoint you, but  _you won't_ ". Like hell she would do that! No one should ever dare touch what's rightfully his-

"LARS! Stop being so- so  _mean_! She's my best friend", the diamond demanded. What was going on here?

"Yeah, Lars. If I want to fuse with Steven, I will and-", Connie started. What did he know about fusion anyway? Or about gems in general? He just wanted something to toy with, like Kevin. He didn't like Steven that way-

"Will you shut up?", Lars silenced her, which he shortly after regretted:" Ugh,  _sorry_. It's just- I've had  _enough_  of people judging us or accusing me of not loving you! I've had enough of people thinking, they would be a better  _match_ for you. And I've had enough of others trying to  _steal_ you from me! I just want to be with you as long as I can- who knows how long we will even live? If things go wrong, we might be dead by tomorrow, even if you are very optimistic about it", he admitted. 

Meanwhile, their parents were just standing there, silently regretting to have tagged along. They would all laugh about this, when their kids were older...

"Lars... I know this whole situation  _sucks_ , but you're just making it worse with your behavior! But I promise you, when we are  _home_ , everything will be alright! No one can steal me from you! I'm  _yours_ ; there is no return from this!", he comforted his upset mate, hugging him. Sometimes he forgot, just how insecure Lars could become. 

This was awful... he felt like he was in some kind of shitty Tv-romance! He embraced his diamond tighter for comfort:" I hope you're right... I'm sorry... If you want to go with her, do so. I'll live...", he depressedly said. He just wanted to go  _home_ now and sleep. Like,  _forever_. 

"Yes! Let's go Steven- Fusion-time!", she shouted excitedly, ignoring what had just happened. Everything was fine, everyone had apologized and now they would have some fun!

Lars encouragingly pushed at Steven, so he would  _go_. He would hide backstage and cry about it to Sadie. That's what best friends were for! Instead of revealing his true feelings however, he hid them. Steven was supposed to have fun! 

Steven knew Lars was full of shit. He was not ok with this. They would need to talk about this more, but for now, he had to comfort his mate. He shook his head:" No, Connie. We won't dance and we surely will not fuse. I can't do it if it hurts Lars", he told her. 

This was his fault. Because of him, his diamond had to miss out on something. "No, just go- it's fine", he lied.

"No it's not! Just tell me the truth!", he demanded. 

"What do you want to hear? No, don't ever fuse with someone again, because in reality, I want to fuse permanently? Steven, I will always be  _wrong_ , regardless of what I say! You would never like it...", Lars helplessly said.

"You- you want to permanently fuse? Lars- is this why Stars is always hating to unfuse?", Steven asked, but knew the answer already. Lars nodded. "You should have told me- if I had known... You know what? Let's dance! I can't stand being like  _this_ anymore, either", he proposed. He did not want to fuse forever, to be honest. He liked being himself, too. Still, if it would help them... They could just go of course, but he did not want this experience to end badly. He pulled a sadly smiling Lars to the dance floor, just as Sadie went on stage.

What the hell? Steven just let her hanging? Seriously, they were not a good match. They had to be fighting a lot, she assumed.

"You really want to do this? You don't have to, even if I greatly appreciate it...", Lars wanted to know, being insecure. "Yes. You see, I also  _had enough_. I only want to spend a nice evening with you without any drama or anything else. I don't want to fuse forever though, ok? I need alone-time as well. But that's enough for now. I love you, so let's do this", he said. 

Before starting the dance, Lars smirked and kissed him with everything he got. Then, they started their dance,  _their special one_. Sadie looked very joyful up there, the pirate noted. He was glad, she had found the confidence to do this. It seemed, like she was singing her song just for them. He saw Connie sulking at the border of the room, but this time, he ignored it. Soon, he felt it- the fusion.

It was nice to be again, even if the context had been a bit  _sad_. Still, Stars was proud to solve Lars' and Steven's problem.

 


	14. going home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars and Steven go to Homeworld

The evening had been nice in the end. They had lived through some serious drama, but it was alright. It would have been better without it, though. Currently, Stars had gone home to Steven's. It was pretty late already, so he decided to go sleep. He heard small voices inside of him, demanding to split, but he ignored it. The biggest part of him did not want to unfuse. 

When he entered the temple, Amethyst was there to greet him, waving lazily. However, she patted the seat on the couch next to her, making him come over and sit down. He stlll had some time to spare, but not much. What did she want from him?

Amethyst sighed and started the conversation:" You know, the others are all a bit crazy right now. Either, they are against you or for you, there is no in between. I've kinda held back for now, but you have to know my feelings, too".

"I know. It all has been a bit crazy these past days...", Stars agreed. "For one; I like you, Stars. I also think Steven and Lars fit together quite well. Still, you should have waited before mating. Lastly, I think your plan with Homeworld is nice, but very dangerous and that giving Pearl away like that is... just not right? But I don't know myself, what would be better. Please, be careful with what you do. If you fail, it might cost us our lives", she summarized for him. It felt good to let it all out.

"Thank you. But I or rather  _we_ will be careful. I'm unsure about Pearl myself, but it's the only way I see right now"; the fusion explained. This situation wasn't perfect. But he guessed nothing was. So they'd have to make the best of it.

~~The next day~~

White had come earlier than expected. At noon, her ship had landed on the beach. Stars had ordered the others to stay inside in case anything went wrong, but also to speak to WD uninterrupted. She was sitting cross-legged on the beach, when he approached her and as she extended her hand, he climbed onto it again.

"Everything went as expected. However, Yellow is still a bit unsure about you. Either way, you will be fully accepted and if not, I'll see to it. Trust me. Now, if you don't have anything else to do, let's go", White explained. It had been hard work convincing the others, but they respected White, so in the end, they agreed.

Stars was rather relieved. He had been a bit stressed out before, unsure of what would happen. "I'm glad to hear that. And yes, there is something else. Your Pearl, to be specific. I want to give her back to you; she's unhappy here", he mentioned. Stars avoided saying, that she had wanted to attack them. He did not know, how to feel about her, after all of that, but that would be hear death-sentence.

"Oh. But then you don't have a Pearl. I know the human could be, but he doesn't have all the  _requirements_ for it. Also, his status is far to high now. It would be embarrassing for him, to take on that role...", White noted thoughtfully. She wasn't opposed to taking her back. Officially, it would be a gift from PD to her, which might better her image. Well, they had not told Homeworld the truth anyway. They had pretended, PD had been on a  _secret mission_ and that's why, they had to  _lie_ about her death. If they had told them the truth... it would have been pure chaos!

"It'll be alright. Steven does not want to  _own_ anyone and Lars is ok with being his  _advisor_. So, really, take her", Stars added. "If you insist on it", she shrugged. It was Pink's decision, after all.

Afterwards, she let him down, so he could say goodbye to the others and go get Pearl. When he returned, they entered White's ship and flew of. It was no use to dwell on his departure more. It would only make things worse. In the ship, White sat down on her throne, but also showed him how to summon one himself. Pearl meanwhile stood at White's side, seeming more or less pleased.

They chatted for a while:" ...So, do you want to stay fused? You should know, it isn't allowed on Homeworld to fuse between different gems. It will certainly worsen your reputation", White asked.

"They would rather stay fused, to be honest. Not  _all the time_ , but a lot. Would it even be possible for the gems to tell? Lars doesn't have a gem and Steven looks different than old PD anyway. Our friends could not tell", Stars had to know. If they would know, he would have to unfuse. He couldn't risk provoking his people.

"They will be, once they know, that Lars is Pink's mate. If he was "missing" half the time, they would begin questioning it. Pink's mate  _has_ to stay at his side for most of the time. But don't worry, you could still fuse in private", she sadly explained. She knew, they loved each other a lot, but this would be too risky for now.

"Why does he have to?", the fusion inquired. Lars was his own person, shouldn't he be able to do what he wants?

"The lower ranked partner still has to obey their mate  _somewhat_. Also, they have to honor them and portray them in a good way. Lastly, he should protect Pink with his life, which isn't possible, if he isn't there", the other diamond pointed out. To be quite honest, mates weren't much better than glorified Pearls. Of course, she did not say that.

"Oh... I don't really like that- It seems weird, that they aren't equal", Stars noted. So Lars' rank had not improved that much after all...

"That's just the way it is. We can't change. You already negotiated a lot and demanded severe changes- we can't change the customs as well. Yellow and Blue were already quite unhappy to give up some of their colonies for you. You can't have everything", White tried to sound calm. Inside though, she was rather upset about Steven daring to question their way of living even more. They had already given in so much!

"I know...", Stars answered, not wanting to test their alliance. 

They decided to unfuse for now. They would have to sooner or later and so Steven could ask WD questions more easily. Lars wasn't really happy with the new revelation of his  _true_  status. He looked over to Pearl, who was staring blankly into nothingness. Would he become like that, too? No, he concluded. Steven couldn't order him any longer, it was his own choice to follow his demands. He wasn't a slave like her, even if he had to stay at his diamond's side.

Right now, he was leaning against Steven's throne, while the latter discussed various things with White. After a while, Steven climbed down from it and pulled Pearl somewhere to talk. He probably wanted to know, if everything was ok now.

Quickly, Lars became rather bored from just standing around. When he wanted to wander around the ship however, White noticed:" Where are you going, little human?". Why- he wasn't  _that_ small!

"Uh, I just wanted to walk a bit... it's not like there would be anything to  _protect_ my diamond from now anyway", he explained himself awkwardly. Wasn't he allowed any freedom now?

"Hm, why not stay with me for a while? We hardly know each other and you'll spend a  _long_ time with us, hopefully", White proposed. She had a weak spot for everything small and pink. She liked this Lars, even if he had taken Pink as a mate, although White had loved her. Also, he was  _crucial_ for her plan.

Hm, that would be better than boring himself to death for a few hours. "Ok", he simply said and walked towards her. He didn't expect her extending her hand yet again and putting him down on her armrest. This was a bit weird; he had not assumed, it would be appropriate for  _him_ to do that. If it had been PD, it would have been different...

"So, what did you do, before becoming Pink's mate and stealing a ship from us? You have to explain in detail however, I don't know a lot about earth", White asked, while smiling at him. 

"I went to school and learned  _stuff_ , but I also sold  and made food. Otherwise, I met friends or watched fights. Uh, that's about it", he admitted. His life hadn't been that interesting before Steven.

" _Interesting_... sounds rather relaxed. Being a Diamond can be very stressful. After all, we have to coordinate half the galaxy", she told him. 

"Yeah, it mostly was...", he remembered. Maybe he should have stayed home? What if he had to work all the time now?

"Hm, can you tell me a bit more about humans? I hardly know anything...", she asked. 

"Uh, I think we're almost like gems, just organic and without the magic. We also have a sort of hierarchy, but it was mostly abolished. Hm, and we need food and sleep to survive", he said, insecure of what she wanted to hear.

"A society without a hierarchy? Oh my... and what about you? You are different from other humans, I understand", she added.

He answered:" Yeah, I'm even closer to a gem. I don't have to eat and stuff anymore and I'm a bit magical, I suppose. Also, I don't have a pulse and I'm cold". After he said the last part, a hand began feeling him up. 

"Hm, is this ok? I just want to know, what you feel like", she added, while she combed through his hair with her gigantic hand. 

He didn't know, if this was ok! It kind of felt scary, being touched by a stranger, but she didn't do anything  _inappropriate_. She was only curious and he couldn't ruin this for Steven. "Y-yeah, i-it's ok", he answered insecurely. Soon, she diverted her attention to other areas, such as his face or his abdomen. Her touch seemed even colder than he was, which surprised him.

Touching this human was nice! He was rather warm and soft, unlike gems. He was pretty adorable too, clearly blushing and being a little uncomfortable, she could tell. "I think, I like humans!", she beamed at him. 

"Uh, thank you?", Lars answered. This was weird... but her intentions surely were innocent?

"Oh, and you are polite as well! The others always described you as barbarians...", she purred, while stroking his cheek with her thumb. Hm... she would need to get to know this human even more. He could prove useful. "But, do you have questions about me or other things perhaps?", she wanted to know.

He blushed even more. He hadn't got that much attention from any  _girl_ before. Did he have questions? Yeah, there was  _one_. "Yes. I know Steven can't order me anymore, but can you and the others?", he said. It might be a problem, if they could...

"Yellow and Blue will most likely not be able to. I'm a bit special, as my rank is still a bit higher than the other's. I don't know for sure, however, but we can try! I  **order** you to stand up!", she tried. She expected it to work. Her powers were limited with her sisters, she couldn't really command them around, but Lars was ranked lower...

Oh stars, she really could! This was bad! She could command him to do anything: attack Steven, for example-

"Oh, it really worked! Well, you can do as you want now again, sorry. Don't worry though, I won't abuse this, you aren't mine, after all~", White assured him. This opened up a million new possibilities...

When Steven came back, the image before him was rather surreal. White was kind of  _petting_  his mate, rubbing his stomach, and Lars was blushing furiously! He had just been checking on Pearl, but she had reassured him, that she was glad to be here. And now this? "...What are you two doing?", he demanded.

"U-Uh, Steven! I haven't heard you coming back! We were just talking about this and that", Lars exclaimed. Oh stars, this must have looked so wrong!

"Yes, and I wanted to research humans more", White explained. Pink was  jealous? How things have turned...

 _Research_?! Sure they were!  This was-

"Oh my! We will arrive shortly, already! You two should prepare yourselves", White ignored Steven's apparent anger. And they really would arrive soon; she loved their new ships...

~~On Homeworld~~

Their arrival wasn't so bad. It was rather scary though, when Steven suddenly had to attend a speech with the other diamonds, introducing him. Still, the crowd seemed glad he was there, especially those, which he  _owned_. They were given a rather lengthy tour through Homeworld's main places, teleporting there. It wasn't so bad, even if there was almost no organic life to be found. 

When all that official business was over, Lars and his diamond were in their new home, in PD's throne-room, to be exact. While Steven sat down, Lars was insecure yet again and stood near the throne. He knew his mate was still somewhat angry, although he had done nothing wrong! "My diamond?", he got his attention, careful to follow the etiquette, as there were other gems around.

Steven only grunted and looked at him. " About before... It looked much worse than it was, she really only wanted to inspect me closer. There was nothing going on-", he pleaded. How was he supposed to prove this?

" _Sure there wasn't_. Even if it was like that, you should not have allowed her to touch you, you are  _my_ mate", he said in a low voice. He was disappointed. Lars had used the first chance to flirt with another!

"It was like that! And how was I supposed to know, it wasn't alright?", he demanded an answer. He had raised his voice, which led to  _a lot_ of gems looking at them.

" _Lars_. You  **can't** speak to me like that! Just- I don't want to talk about it. Go away, I don't want to see you right now. I'm having enough stress as is", he ordered. 

The pirate backed away at that. Steven was so jealous; had he no trust in him? Still, he couldn't stay; he had already embarrassed his mate... But where should he go?

He went outside to a "garden", which they had been shown before and sat down on a large stone. It wasn't like anything on earth. The plants must have been from some kind of alien-planet. He didn't know what to do. It seemed like their problems had followed them here as well...But surely, Steven would calm down soon? He had to see, how ridiculous this was.

A familiar figure appeared, which made him sick. It was her fault! She approached him, but something was different... She was far smaller than normal, but still a bit bigger than him. Also, she wore a hood.

"Hello, Lars. Why aren't you with your diamond?", she asked. "He threw me out...", he said ashamedly.

"Oh, why would he do something like that?", she inquired, although already knowing the answer. " Because of earlier, he thinks, I flirted with you or vice versa", Lars explained. 

"Hm, I haven't taken him for the jealous type, ~~I thought you filled that role~~. And what are you doing now?", she asked more questions. "I don't know, sitting here, I guess. Why are you so small?", he became suspicious. Maybe something was wrong?

Oh, of course he wouldn't know. "I'm not really  _comfortable_ with being outside and approached by my people all the time, so I hide as best as I can. Most gems don't know, that Diamonds can shapeshift at all, as we never do it and there are gems who can't either", she truthfully said. 

"That's kind of sad. You could just go on holiday on earth- no one would recognize you there, besides a few gems", Lars proposed. "That's very thoughtful of you, but I can't leave my sisters alone for too long", she regretted.

But enough with this smalltalk, she had other plans to pursue. She grabbed one of his hands and held it:" But enough of this for now, you look sad and we need to change this. There must be more to it than your fight with Pink, you **have** **to** tell me". 

Lars turned a darker shade of pink:" All of this is just a bit overwhelming and Steven's behavior doesn't help. We're going from one problem to another and it has been like this for months for me, even before I died. I just want to have some peace and comfort", he told the truth. He couldn't believe, he was so open towards her.

"But why did you come here with Steven then, **tell me**?!", she pried further. "I don't know... I love him and I didn't want him to do this alone. And maybe I wanted to get away from the other humans, too. Since my death, I changed so much and I feel like I don't fit in with them anymore. Steven really is one of the few who understands me,  _mostly_ ", he admitted.

He was insecure,  _good_. "I understand you,  **you know that**.  Are you sure _he_ understands you? After all, he just threw you out. There is no shame in admitting it, when  **it's true** ", she consoled him, while stroking his hand,  _just like Steven had_.

"I- Maybe he doesn't...", he concluded. White was right, it seemed. When had Steven ever understood his needs? He wouldn't even stay fused and drowned out his demands in Stars! He used him as his human Pearl, but sugercoated it, calling him his  _advisor_. When he fought Connie, he sided with her! Had he been so blind...? 

"Aww- you don't have to cry! I'm sure, he loves you...  **come here** -", she exclaimed, while pulling a sobbing mess into her arms and in turn onto her lap. This was easier than expected! She rubbed his back again, comforting him as well as she could. "Everything will be alright, I'm positive. You can stay with me as long as you want,  **you'll feel much better with me than with him** ", she said, while pulling him impossibly closer.

And he really did. Despite feeling awful because of his situation, he felt so secure with WD. He didn't want to go back- so he just stayed for a while. She promised him, he could! 

Meanwhile, Steven had settled some matters regarding his only colony-  _earth_. He had send a few gems to repair the warp-pads and other structures, but he would mostly leave it alone. Now however, he needed to speak to White, of all people, about corruption. They had to reverse it. When he warped to her court however, Pearl was standing next to an empty throne. He asked her:" Where is White Diamond?". 

"She often goes out incognito and does whatever. I don't know where she is. But, since she should be on Homeworld, you can track her", she answered. "Track her?", he interrupted.

"Yes. The Diamonds have a new system, where they can see anyone's position. It only works on Homeworld as of yet, as it has to be tested out. Here-", she held out a tablet, like Peridot had had and showed him her position. Coincidentally, Lars was  _with her_.

What was he doing with her? "We didn't do anything"- sure! What a liar! They were mated for a few days and he already cheated?!

Enraged, he warped near their position into a building and then went towards them. He couldn't believe it! Lars was practically sitting on  _her lap_ , hugging her for dear life! Only if he kissed her, it could be worse! She even  _lovingly_ stroked his back. 

White noticed her brother, who looked like he was about to explode. Damn it. It was too early for this! Now she had to solve this mess...:" Pink! Nice to see you here!", she exclaimed, at which Lars only began sobbing more. Why did Steven have to come now?

" _Nice to see me_? I haven't been with Lars for half an hour and you're already on him! What is this?", he demanded to know. They were both liars and traitors!

"Steven, please calm down, you're  _imagining_ things! Don't you see, he's crying and I'm comforting him? And he's crying because of you, as well!", she declared. Ugh, this just delayed her plans...

"I didn't do  _anything_!", he stated. 

"You threw him out after not believing him! And now you're accusing him of something again", she pointed out.

Well... maybe Lars was crying for real. Still:" And why does he have to sit on top of you like that for  _consoling_?".

"What do you mean? This is normal!", she played dumb. She knew, this was far from  _platonic_.

"No it isn't-", he explained. Had he been wrong? Maybe she really didn't know it wasn't? Oh stars, had he really-

Lars wailed:" Just stop, ok? Please stop fighting all the time". He didn't even know, why he cried any longer; just, that he did not like having Steven here like this. He hugged White closer for comfort; she was never upset with him!

"I-", Steven stammered. He had been wrong, hadn't he? He had made his mate suffer for no reason! "I'm sorry- I really didn't- I'm just so overwhelmed and stressed out; I think I overreacted because of it.  _Lars_ , I'm so sorry-", he went on rambling. 

White interrupted him:" Steven, you really have to be more careful. You can't hurt Lars, because you're not feeling well. Now-  _Lars_ , you're feeling better now,  **aren't you**? I think, we should all calm down now and rest. Both of you surely need it". Great, she had to advance this on another day. 

Lars stopped crying. Yeah, he did feel better now! He untangled himself from White Diamond and awkwardly went to his diamond. The latter quickly hugged him and promised:" I will never overreact like this again, alright? I'm so sorry, I put you through this. Forgive me? You can even punch me next time, if I do it again".

Lars sadly smiled:" I think, I forgive you". He didn't like having to hug his mate right now. It felt...worse than hugging WD. Still, he had no other option, but to follow Steven to their rooms, as he wanted to rest. He didn't need sleep, but he would have to, if Steven slept. Why they even had a bed here, eluded him.

Steven finished, so he could go to bed, thankfully, the gems had been thoughtful and gave him clothes and other things he needed. Lars sat at the edge of the bed depressedly, when he returned. He had already taken his things of. Steven decided to make his mate happy again and crawled towards him on the bed, embracing him from behind.

The diamond started nibbling at Lars' neck and rubbing him, in hopes of exciting him. When he got no reaction, he jumped down the bed, to push Lars back on it and climb back on top of him. He took Lars' cheeks into his hands and kissed him on the mouth, as intensely as he could. What he did not expect however, was a growl and being thrown to the side.

"Will you leave me be?! I **don't** want to! Or will you  **force** me to,  _my diamond_ ?", he shouted at Steven. This felt- it felt so wrong all of a sudden! He just couldn't-

Steven was shocked. What was wrong? Lars looked at him, as if he was- disgusting! "What are you talking about? What is wrong?", he asked.

" _Everything_!", he screamed:" You can't pretend, like nothing's wrong, Steven, you never listen! Just- leave me alone! Lay down and sleep, I'll even stay with you, but  _don't touch me"_ , he pleaded, while shuffling to one side of the bed as close to the edge as possible. 

The diamond didn't want to hurt his mate anymore, even if he did not understand his problem fully. He probably was still upset from before? Steven lay down beneath the covers on the other side. Lars hadn't even bothered to cover himself with the blanket. He was just laying there, unmoving, cold,  _not_ _breathing_. Like a corpse.


	15. Cheating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for rape. If you want to skip it stop at "~~~~" and read, when it appears again.

The next day, they didn't talk much. Steven sat down on his throne, while Lars stood next to it. He didn't know what to do. It had been a mistake to come here! He had no freedom at all- he had to stand here and look pretty all day, doing nothing! He couldn't live like this for hundreds of years... Furthermore, his relationship with his mate was strained so much. He wanted to go to White Diamond- he had felt so good with her. It was hard to admit, but maybe mating Steven had been a mistake...

He watched on, as countless gems came to discuss stars know what with Steven. This sucked... He had no friends here or anything to do! He had already stood here for  _hours_. But he couldn't get away- he hated all of this. This etiquette was awful as well and Steven had no intent to change it. Also, he didn't even want to fuse anymore.

What if he was never allowed back home? Mating was eternal- it could not be reversed. He felt himself panicking- he could not live with someone, he disliked in a world he despised  _forever_! He had to get away. He felt himself trembling now, from pure anxiety. Even if he died... Steven would bring him back  _again and again_... He couldn't do this.

"M-my diamond?", he said, staring blankly into nothingness,  _just like Pearl had_. "Yes?", Steven asked, interrupting an Amethyst, that was talking to him.

"Can I leave your side for a while?", he pleaded. He had to, or he might faint.

Why did he want to? Did he want to go to  _White_ again? NO- Steven had promised not to overreact... "Of course, you can, love. Just get me some more guards, before you go", he granted his wish.

The pinkish-boy would have loved to storm out, but slowly walked. As demanded, he called some more guards to compensate for him. He went outside, to a quiet corner- hyperventilating. He didn't need air, he knew! Still, his body cried for air, it couldn't even absorb. He cried in frustration. What should he do; run away? Steal another ship? He didn't even know how to fly, his crew had done it!  He had to get away... He just wanted to go home, his  **real** home! He wanted to be alive again and work with Sadie. 

He was such a coward- he hadn't even persevered two whole days here... What should he do? He forced himself to stop breathing rapidly, closing of nose and mouth. It felt horrible, like suffocating. He had to get away from this awful planet or at least from Pink Diamond! He had to go to his only other ally- White Diamond.

Luckily, he remembered, where her court was at. Surprisingly, her guards didn't even question him running towards them and looking plain miserable. He went to her throne, where one of her gems reported something. In desperation, he fell to his knees and begged:" Please, White Diamond! You have to help me. You told me you would-".

Wow, maybe her plans had not been delayed after all. She chased away the gem before her and stood up, walking gracefully towards the mess before her. "Come with me", she simply stated and went towards a door on the far left.Lars slowly stood up and trailed behind her following her through different rooms to one, which looked like a living room with couches in them. 

After WD had sat down, she shrank down and pulled Lars towards her and onto her lap again. Smiling reassuringly, she asked:" What happened?". Lars answered between small sobs, which had become less through White:" I can't do this anymore. I don't want to be Steven's human Pearl! I want to go home- I don't want to be with him anymore- please...".

She had him right where she wanted him to be. She stroked away some of his tears with her hand:" Oh, Lars.... I'm sorry, _he_ treats you so badly. You don't deserve that at all. There are certain things I  _could do_ , but I don't think, you'd like them". "Please, anything...", Lars whispered.

She embraced him more tightly:" I could just send you back to earth, but Steven would find you there. I could  _kill_ you, but we don't want to be so drastic,  **do we**? We could  _brake_ your bond to him somewhat", she explained. She needed the boy alive. Not just for her plan, but because she  _liked_ him.

"But I- I thought it was impossible to reverse mating?", he reminded. 

"One can't reverse it, no.  _But_ , we can impair it, weakening your bond to him. This would free you from his court and keep all the benefits of the bond, while not forcing you to be with him. Then you could return home!", she added. "But how?", he asked.

She leaned in on him:" By  _cheating_ on him".

C-cheating? But...:" Whom would I even do that with... and wouldn't that endanger the other person?".

So naive. "How about me? I can protect us both from him and I'm not entirely disinterested in you~ Also, I'd gladly have you in my court", she purred, while speaking close to his ear.

"With you? But... there must be a catch and I'm not really into women...", he admitted. He just wouldn't be able to do it with her.

"Clever boy~ Firstly, I'm not a woman, if I change it; don't worry about  _that_. And yes, I want something from you, as well", she put a hand under his chin, tilting his head up:"  **You have to join my court and obey me, but also influence Pink Diamond in secret, so he'll surrender his position** ". Then, she could put someone else,  _Lars_ , in his place and have someone there, who will follow all her orders, which would give her even more power over the others. The diamonds would oppose him being there, but they will listen to her in the end. She needs to do it, because she can't just shatter the others. When they had first appeared, she had thought, she could control them- but she could not, making this plan unavoidable.

 _Don't do it_ , something inside him said, but something else said  **do it** more strongly. "Yes, my diamond", he whispered, sealing the deal, he just could not resist. He would be free again!

Yes! She smirked at him:" Good boy... And now to the fun part. Follow me~". She stood up and let Lars follow her- while this happened, she shapeshifted into something Lars would like more. Appearance-wise not much changed, just the parts  _which counted_. He led Lars to a bedroom, he had seldom used and closed the door. Hm, all of this could have been prevented, had Pink made White her mate... Now it was too late. But this was a nice substitute.

He approached Lars, who was standing in the middle of his bedroom, not doing much. Lars very much felt like prey being hunted right now. But he couldn't take this back now, he had already agreed... When the diamond caressed one of his cheeks and leaned into his face, his heart would have skipped a beat. Was this the right decision? What if-

Kissing this human was nice; he was much warmer and softer than anything he had experienced before. He could tell, Lars was a bit anxious, by the way he tensed up. Either way, they would do this, whether he liked it  _or not_. He had  _agreed_ to this  _more or less_. White took a step back then and demanded:" Undress yourself".

Undress...? He usually wasn't the one to submit in this situation  ~~or any situation~~. But the way WD looked at him made him follow his demands. He slowly, with trembling fingers undid the two buttons securing his coat, letting it fall to the floor. Next came his shirt, which felt  _awfully_ familiar. Was this- should he be doing this? Maybe he had been to quick to react- he-

"What are you waiting for?", White disapprovingly asked, when Lars had stopped  his actions. "I- I just- maybe this was a mistake, I don't know- Maybe we should stop!", he stuttered and backed away, bumping into the door. This was  _wrong_ -

White evily laughed:" You  _agreed_ to it and I told you my  _plans_. So either, you follow through or I'll make sure there is nothing left to resurrect", he threatened, while creeping towards Lars.

He was scared- how could he have been so dumb? "NO! Leave me alone, I don't want this anymore!", he shouted at him. 

Ugh, why couldn't he just be a pretty little Pearl, which would obey him? He stood only inches apart from Lars now:" Well, I can't risk you ruining my plan, dear. So,  **obey me and play along nicely** ", she ordered. 

"No... stop ordering me!", he pleaded to no avail. White Diamond chocked him:" It's either that or being killed- your choice. This could have been so nice, if you had behaved. Now, I dare you to resist me and pay the consequences!", she threatened again.

What should he do? He couldn't die  ~~again~~. He couldn't fight him either- he was too weak. Why had he done this- he should have listened to the others, warning them of something like this! 

~~~~

" **Undress** ", he repeated. He had hoped to do this without any more orders, but he couldn't help it. 

While tears threatened to stream down his cheeks, he unbuttoned his shirt and took of his trousers and underwear- why? He just should have stayed with Steven-

Pleased to see that, White then advanced to shove his victim onto the bed. He stepped between his legs and put both arms besides Lars' head, intimidating him further. "Now, don't try to stop me. I order you  **to enjoy this** ", he whispered. 

The pirate was confused and scared. White's administrations, like kissing him again right now, made him want to puke. But his body betrayed him and  _liked it_. The diamond began brutally jerking him of a bit, making him hard to his horror. It felt so good- even if he did not want this!

White made his clothing disappear and stood in front of  him- frightening him even more. "Get down on your knees and make yourself useful", he simply stated.

He couldn't- he couldn't actually mean that? When White growled at him however, he quickly followed through. His eyes became wide, when his hair was grabbed and his face forced towards White's crotch. Still, he knew better than resisting. He would get out of this- he had to! He would just have to endure this and then he could go back to his diamond...

He took it in his mouth, sucking and bobbing his head, wishing he could  _bite down_. "Mmh~ you're such a little slut for diamonds, it seems. So eager, too~", White moaned, making him despise him even more. He would kill that guy, if he had the chance to.

Apparently, Lars wasn't going fast enough, as White began thrusting into his mouth, making him gag. Still, he didn't stop or slow down, but instead chuckled, when pink hands grabbed at him in panic. "If you had behaved, I might have made this more enjoyable for you, but now?", White declared. Lars was hating this, but still, waves of pleasure were shooting through him from being treated so harshly. Damn commands...

After what felt like eternity, he could feel the diamond tensing up, cumming into his mouth and forcing him to swallow. When he was let go, Lars coughed violently from having his throat abused like that. He wasn't granted any pause however, as WD pulled him up and threw him back onto the bed. He sat down between Lars's legs, making obvious what was to come next. "Hm~ you like this much more, than with PD,  **don't you**?", White purred, while stroking Lars.

"Y-yes, my diamond", he was forced to answer. Stars... please let him just die on the spot. But it really did feel better... He couldn't do this... "Ah... and you surely want me to  _take you_ ,  **right**?", White whispered into his ear. "Yes!", he was answered. "So eager... Hm, I hope you don't break so easily- would be hard to explain this to Pink, huh? He wouldn't believe you anyway~ Guess, you'll have to find another explanation for what is to come", he joked about Lars. What did he mean...?

Lars quickly found out, when he felt something  _big_ at his entrance- "W-wait! You can't just-", he begged. If he did this without preparation- 

"I've told you, it's your own fault~", he was interrupted, while WD pushed violently into him. Lars screamed- this was almost as bad as his death. He began crying, as the diamond violently thrust into him, surely breaking something. For comfort, he held onto the one hurting him, having nothing else. However, White gripped his wrists tightly with one hand, brusing, and held them above his head, so he could have a better view. 

"Oh~ you're so cute, when you cry", he purred. It was heaven pounding into the human. So warm... Maybe he should make this a regular occurrence.

"Please-", Lars begged. He didn't even know what for. It hurt so much, but it also- it felt  _awfully good_ , too. He wanted more, but he wanted it to stop- "Please stop!", he decided to beg. No way he would fall so low. It was only her orders that-

Suddenly, pain shot through him as he heard a  _cracking_  noise. Again, he screamed in pain, more tears flowing freely. "I told you, not to disobey. Do it again and I'll break more than just a few bones~", White threatened. He had just put his hand down on his ribcage, pushing down with ease and easily breaking two or more of his ribs. It hurt so  _badly-_

WD commenced his brutal pace, hitting that special spot inside of Lars over and over. To his regret, he was leaking pre-cum all over himself, showing, that some sick part of him severely enjoyed it. Soon, he felt himself cumming, only being able to withstand so much. He felt awful for it and he still hurt so much-

White slapped him across his face:" How dare you? I did not allow you that, you whore!". "I'm so sorry- please don't hurt me anymore! I'll do anything-", he pleaded. He couldn't take any more of this. "I'll keep you to that~", White noted, pleased by his pleas. Lars whimpered below him from overstimulation and pain, getting him closer to the edge. He would  _breed_ , this little human~

Lars felt cold fluid gushing into him, filling him up. It was  _disgusting_. 

After the diamond had finished, he let himself fall to the side and pulled Lars towards him to embrace and cuddle him. He hadn't been this pleased in a long time~ The little human had done surprisingly well

for being so fragile. Still, he was sobbing and hiding himself in White's chest. He stroked his hair and back, praising him:" You've done so well~ But  _next time_ , you should behave better".

"N-next time?", Lars afraidly asked. White had said, this needed to be done, to weaken the bond!

" _Yes_. You are secretly  in my court now, so I can play with you all I want. And don't even think about betraying me! If you do, I'll destroy your pretty little planet and PD as well", he warned, while pressing down on his broken bones, inflicting pain. 

This wasn't at all what they had discussed! He had been lied to- he had been so naive... 

The diamond tilted his chin up, looking into his eyes:" Hm, the gold is pretty strong, still. Seems, like your bond has not been weakened that much after all".

"W-what? But you said it would!", he exclaimed, while trying to push himself away to no avail.

"Hm,  _maybe I was wrong_. Uups~", he chuckled. One couldn't reverse mating. It was impossible. 

"YOU- you lied to me! Just, so you could get me into your bed?!", Lars exclaimed in shock. This was-

"Perhaps? That was only for fun, you're just too much to resist~ What is much more important, is, that you consented to swap courts and  _more_ ", he laughed. "Now- rest for a while, as long as you can. You have a lot of work to do later", he added and closed her eyes to sleep as well. He didn't really need it, but it was nice.

What had he done... He lay there in shock, being wrapped up in White's arms. He had to do something- but what? He frantically looked for a way out of this. If he were to run away, he would find him and kill everyone. He couldn't resist her commands. Now less than ever, being under her rule. He couldn't go to Steven- she would attack him or command him to attack. The only way out of this, was for someone to die. Him or WD.

But how would he achieve the latter? He had a knife, but he could not engage the diamond in open combat. He was too weak and hurt too much. He looked at him... could he just... pull the gem out? When he had touched Steven's he had explained it was a very risky thing to do, as it was  easy to pull out. But was it only like that for him? Maybe it would be impossible to pull White's out. Also, she would know, what his plan was, if he got close to it. But not, if he slept...

He tested the waters and caressed his cheek "lovingly". He opened his eyes and asked:" What do you think, you're doing?". "Uh... I thought it was ok to- to touch you, my diamond. I just- If I have to be in your court now and we'll do this more often, we might as well become more... _intimate",_ whispered. 

Hm... the human was probably still under the effect of one of his orders. But  it was nice, that he wasn't crying anymore. He decided to kiss him, for his progress.

Why did he have to kiss him? Still, Lars played along. He had to gain his trust. What he had not calculated, was himself getting hard at this, because White massaged his butt. Oh stars- this awful gem-magick was taking a toll on him.

White felt something hard pressing against his leg. Oh. "Well~ you seem to have incredible stamina for a non-gem. Want me to help you out? Maybe you're a good boy after all. You like obeying me,  **don't you**?", he seductively whispered into Lars' ear. 

Fuck, no! "Yes, my diamond. I love it~", he  _admitted_. Argh! Why-

The diamond chuckled and let his hand slide downwards, gently rubbing Lars' dick, while making out with him. He was coming along nicely after all, it seemed.

"Nngh~", Lars couldn't help himself, but grind into the hand, that was offered to him. This was not good- he wanted to gain her trust, yes, but not by  _actually_ enjoying it. Was he enjoying it out of free will? He couldn't tell any longer, shit... Before, he could tell it apart, once he had known, that he had ordered him around-  ~~when had he started that, anyway?~~ \- but now? 

" **Tell me** ,  **that you want me** ", he went on. "Mmh~ yes, my diamond- I want you so much! Please- take me", he answered him in between moans. Oh no...

White laughed:" I think, you had enough of me. If I break you any more, you might die.  **Tell me more** ". 

This really felt like heaven- now the diamond had also penetrated him with his fingers, massaging his prostate... Maybe this wasn't so bad after all? It really was better, than with Steven. There was more pleasure, and he felt so secure with him again...

"Ah! Please don't stop- more! I want to be with you- you are a better mate than him! Make me yours~ Please, don't leave me", he breathlessly said. "You want to be mine?", he pried. "Yes, my diamond-", Lars whispered, while chasing him for more kisses.  The human had fully succumbed to his orders, it seemed.  _Good_. 

He accepted the passionate kisses gladly. He wished, the human had submitted like that right away. Now, he felt kind of bad for hurting him so much... He felt warm liquid on his hand, Lars having come. Afterwards, he embraced the organic boy tighter, letting him caress the diamond. His hands wondered  _everywhere_. Even his gem, but he didn't stop him. The human didn't understand what he was doing anyway- he wasn't doing this out of free will completely, either. Still, it was nice. 

~~~~

After a few hours of rest, White sadly had to let his new lover go. It would become increasingly suspicious, if he was gone for too long. "Go back to Pink Diamond now and do as I told you. Come and visit me again, soon~", he didn't command. The pink human happily nodded and dressed.

White wasn't so bad! He had just been frightened before... he felt so good with him,  _way better than with Steven_. But wasn't that, what he had been told to think, a voice of doubt asked. Hm... even if, it was  _true_. He  _wanted_ White Diamond. Those weren't orders... Or were they? He- he didn't know anymore!

~~PD's court~~

When he returned, he became increasingly depressed. He didn't want to be here- Steven had even finished his work so far for today, which meant, they had spare time. They were in one of the gardens, enjoying "nature". Lars' chest still hurt like hell. But he couldn't just ask to have it healed- Steven would be suspicious and WD  _hadn't allowed it_. And he wouldn't disobey  _his diamond_. But wasn't Steven his diamond...? He felt a hand resting on his, as they sat on a rock. 

"So, what did you do all day? You don't look so happy", Steven asked concerned. "I visited White Diamond's court, as she is one of the only people I know. We talked, that's all", he answered.  He knew Lars lied. Something was up. He didn't think, he had cheated on him, as promised, but something had happened!

He took Lars' hands, as means to support him:" I know something is wrong, please tell me!". "It's nothing, Steven", Lars assured him. When Steven had taken his mates hands however, he saw the bruises on his wrists.  "What's this then?", he angrily pointed at it.

"Ugh, nothing, I told you!", he angrily replied. He should have worn his gloves... "This isn't nothing! Has White hurt you?", Pink assumed. 

"No, it was an accident. She didn't mean to grip so tightly, but she couldn't know, how hard was too hard. Just leave me be", he said, annoyed with Steven.

"Let me see the rest of you", he simply demanded. He prayed, his assumptions weren't right. When Lars didn't react, he yanked his shirt up, revealing more bruises on his waist and even further below, as he shoved down Lars' pants a bit. There was an especially big one on his chest area and  _something_ unnaturally pointy was to be seen. "LARS! Are your ribs broken? What has she done to you?", Steven jumped up. 

Tears threatened to form:" It's nothing!", he claimed again. "Lars- did she... rape you? Please, tell me! Did she force you to not say it?", Steven panicked. He should have protected Lars more, the others were right-

Did she? He- he had enjoyed it! But- she hurt him and ordered him- he didn't have a choice! He looked at Steven, who was beyond concerned. "Please- I'm sorry I have to do this, if it works at all: I  **order you to say it** ",  Steven pleaded.

Lars didn't want to say it! The order had no effect on him anyway... He only nodded slowly. He came to the conclusion, that she had. "Lars... I'm so sorry, this is all my fault- I-", Steven whispered. Why had he taken Lars here? 

"It isn't. You could not have known", Lars simply said. "What did she do to you...", Steven had to know. Lars would rather not admit his failure, but he had to:" She ordered me around, without me knowing it, but it doesn't seem to work completely, as you can see. Either way, I gave in to her. I ran to her for comfort and she abused it. But had I really been against it, I could have stopped it, I'm sure. I suppose, it wasn't rape entirely... I'm sorry... She wanted to use me, so she could overthrow you. This is all my fault, I deserve this- I..", he rambled on. It really was! Her orders hadn't got such a strong effect on him, as he liked them to have. After all, he wouldn't be able to tell Steven, if they had. He had cheated on his mate...

"NO! Don't justify her actions,  **you do not deserve it**! Maybe you can withstand her now, because of me or because you're not with her, I don't know! But I know, that you would not betray me.   **Don't ever say something like that again**! She will pay for this, but first, we need a plan", he exclaimed. She had brainwashed him...

Lars hugged his mate, needing something to hold onto. Had he really been...? His chest hurt from the pressure, but he couldn't begin to care. He was crying, unable to think of what to do next-

Steven was unsure of what to do, as well. He settled for only kissing Lars' forehead, not wanting to scare him. He couldn't leave him like this- Lars was insecure as is, if he let him alone with his thoughts, Lars might do something stupid. "Lars, love... I'm sorry, but we should fuse. I don't want to leave you alone and I don't know how to help you otherwise", he proposed.

"But... it's forbidden and you don't want to see my thoughts or  _memories_ right now, trust me...", he reminded. Steven kissed his forehead again:" Don't worry about that. I will be able to cope with it and Stars will too. As for it being illegal,  _I don't care_. Let's change the rules then", he assured. The diamond carefully pulled Lars up and danced with him. Not their normal dance, but something slower, less straining and shorter. 

Stars' mind was pure chaos for the first few minutes. It was a mixture of hate, love, fear, anger, sadness and much more. He  _saw_ what had happened and it was- it was indescribable for him. He needed some time to sort everything, but when he had, he was determined and felt the usual love again. 


	16. The rebellion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stars wants revenge!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, the fanfiction became so dark again <.<

Well, what was his plan? First of, he had get Blue and Yellow and inform them, before White had time to lie to them. She would certainly tell them, Pink was a traitor, once he found out, Lars had resisted her. Stars send them a message, asking them to visit him, while also throwing out any other gems, that were in  _his_ court room right now. They were pretty taken aback, not fully understanding  _who or what_ Stars even was. Still, they listened.

Yellow and Blue came of course, thinking this was a regular meeting. When they appeared however and it was  _Stars_ sitting on Pink's throne, they were shocked. While Blue stayed silent and sat down, Yellow was bewildert at his  _audacity_. " Who are you? Pink- you can't fuse! We are on Homeworld, not some piece of dirt", he reminded him.

"Please, sit down, sister. Ignore Steven fusing with his mate for now, there are more pressing matters", Stars calmly demanded. Yellow was a bit angry at him, but when she saw Blue had cooperated, she did too.

"There is a problem: it's about White", he started. Blue was concerned:" Was she hurt?".

"It's quite the opposite. She hurt us. She ordered Lars to do her bidding, forcing him to sleep with her and joining her court", he went on. This was ridiculous:" White would never do that! She's the least violent of us all. Are you seriously trying to pit us against her? Why would she rape PD's mate?", Yellow couldn't believe it.

"She wanted to use him, so he could overthrow me and in turn become more powerful. We assume, she wants to overpower you with that, but we aren't certain", he sadly explained. Hopefully, they would trust him.

Blue was uncertain, what to think. "But is there proof of your claims?", she pointed out. White wasn't exactly her favorite, but Steven was unpredictable... Who should she trust?

Stars pulled his sleeves up, showing them the bruises. As a fusion, he kept those as well. Next came his waist and his chest, providing undeniable proof. 

"That could have come from anything, Pink could have abused his mate, for all we know", Yellow pointed out, even if she wasn't so sure about White's innocence anymore. Still,  she was her  _sister_ \- she couldn't believe she would do something like that.

"That's why I have a special guest for you: Padparadscha. You know her, I suppose?", Stars pulled out his joker. One of his guards, a Rose Quartz, led his ally to them, letting her stand in the middle of them.

"She is useless as a Sapphire and can't foresee the future- what do you want with her?", Blue asked. This was interesting...

"She can't foretell anything, no. But you know, she can do something else. She can  _tell_ the present", Stars proudly answered. Yellow intervened:" ...and? I know the present myself!".

"But not completely. For instance, you can't tell, if I'm honest or not.  Padparadscha can tell, what is happening right now and so, she knows, whether I am telling the truth or not. Go on, command her to say, what she sees", Stars proposed. 

The fusion had a point, they knew the off-colored gem had that ability. But back then, they had not seen a use for it. "Padparadscha, I  **order you, to tell me, truthfully, what you see**!", she ordered, as demanded.

"Oh! I just had a revelation! Stars the fusion is telling the truth. Currently, White is preparing a plan, on how to put Lars on Pink's throne, so White has an ally, she can control! Did I do good?", she excitedly asked. She had waited so long to prove her worth! Smiling, she looked at Yellow, who currently held her hand in front of her mouth with wide eyes. 

"You've done good. You can go now", Stars praised her. She nodded and waved cutely at them, going away. She would return to earth and her friends now! Yay!

"Do you believe me now?", Stars sadly asked. Inside, Lars wasn't in a very good state of mind, memories flashing up... 

Blue whispered:" Yes... but what shall we do now?". They couldn't just file a lawsuit against  _White Diamond_! She had a higher rank than them...

"There are two options. We could poof and imprison her or shatter her. Well, we could also corrupt her, but that- I don't know if we should and can", he noted. They wouldn't like any of those...

Yellow became anxious:" All of that is pure suicide! Do you even know how powerful she is? How would we achieve any of that-". Blue added:" And shattering is out of the question,  _your_ supposed shattering brought too much misery as is. We would have to poof her...".

"... There must be someone, she trusts enough to let them touch her. If not, there is still Lars...", Stars added.

Yellow shook her head:" No, there isn't. She seldom leaves her court, she didn't even have a Pearl for a long time and besides us, there is no one she regularly sees. And not even we can initiate any physical contact with her. Only Pink could, well  _the old Pink Diamond_ , anyway".

Stars sighed, as anxiety swelled up in him:" Then there is only Lars... he can touch her, after all, she assumes, he is under her spell. But... he is rather scared and such, as you can probably understand. Also, we don't know, in how far she has power over him. Sometimes he can resit her and sometimes not". 

After contemplating that, Blue stated:" Of course, she wouldn't have full power over him. I suppose, he can only be ordered by her if he's weak. For instance, when he is in a bad state of mind. But that means, we can't send him now...".

Stars became fidgety, while Yellow said:" But there is no other way to be seen. We could only ask the Sapphires-". Stars intervened:" He'll do it. Lars has just decided to do it. But- will he be able to just pull her gem out?". The others nodded.

"Ok... then, we'll wait until tomorrow and Lars will go to her. But if it goes wrong... we might have to take our other options", he concluded and ended their meeting with that. 

~~The next day~~

Lars was extremely full of anxiety, even if he did not show it much. Going back to him meant, that there was the possibility, he needed to let another rape occur. Steven showered him with love and praise; he embraced him and told him, everything would be alright. Still, he was scared beyond reason. Everyone counted on him... if he failed, everything would be lost. Worst thing was, the other Diamonds would meet in secret and observe, what happened, so they could strike immediately, if something went wrong.

The walk towards White's court was one of the worst things, he ever experienced. He saw a Sapphire on his way, who, when she saw him, did a shocked expression and exclaimed:" Don't do it-", but he had to. There was no other possibility. 

When he entered the throne-room, White was completely alone in it, not even Pearl was there. When he approached him, he smiled. "Hmm~ you have returned! Any progress yet?", he asked. "N-not yet. Although Steven seemed really upset, that I wouldn't be close with him. I guess that's a good start?", he insecurely answered.

"It's better than nothing, I suppose. Has he seen to your wounds?", he pried. "Y-yes. I told him, it was an accident and that he should not overreact, because he promised me to. He seemed somewhat calm", Lars lied. 

White climbed down from his throne. As he got closer, Lars almost wanted to run away- "My diamond?", he whispered. Unsure of what would happen next. White Diamond shrank down to a smaller size and he already assumed the worst. An arm was lain around his waist and his cheek caressed. 

"Yes?", he answered with another question. "What are you going to-", Lars started, but was interrupted, by being kissed. It wasn't an innocent, quick one at that. It was all skin on skin, White massaging his behind and grinding against him. He wished he didn't have to do this, but in the end, he returned the kiss "eagerly" and let his hands roam about. He couldn't pull out her stupid gem like this, though...

As neither of them needed air, they made out forever. Steven, who could see all of this, as the diamonds observed this through monitors, wasn't all too happy with it. Really, he was heartbroken. It almost seemed, as if Lars was into that. Blue turned to him and lay her hand on his back:" Don't worry, you know, he's only playing along, because he has to, not because he wants it". 

After a while, the White Diamond stopped. "You love me,  **don't you**? You don't  _have to_ do this after all...", he chuckled. "Yes, my diamond", the pirate whispered back. D-did he...? Maybe he shouldn't pursue his plan, then- no! This was only the magic, not his will!

"Are you only saying that, because I order you to? I don't think, I want to know... Anyway, I have something planned for today, do you want to know what?", he seductively inquired. "Yes, my diamond", he repeated.

He chuckled:" I like it, when you say that. The thing is, when I saw your fusion with Pink, I became rather  _interested_. I never fused before; there was no one to do it with. But, I'd be really interested to do it  _with you_ ". "I-I don't know, my diamond. Steven is special, he's half human, maybe it won't work...", Lars backed away.

Wrong move. White aggressively grasped his wrist, pulling him close and almost breaking it in the process:"  **You will fuse with me and you will like it**! DON'T give me any lame excuses, or do I have to remind you, who you are facing?", she threatened him. Whimpering from pain and fear, Lars apologized:" Yes, my diamond! I'm sorry-".

"We can't allow him to fuse with her!", Steven exclaimed. Fusing never went well, when it was forced- But Yellow brushed him off:" We have to".

Sobbing, Lars took White's hand and let himself be pulled into a dance. It felt so  _wrong_... It was a very formal dance, but filled with passion. It took rather long for them to fuse, mainly because Lars was so disturbed. But after White shouted at him:"  **Stop crying** " and he  _obeyed_ it worked.

The moment he opened his eyes, he wanted to close them again and poof. He felt utterly depressed, lonely, scared and lost. He didn't feel  _good_. 

Blue did a shocked noise, while Yellow stayed silent for once. Pink on the other hand, suffered with his mate. On their screens they saw the fusion. He was taller than White Diamond would usually be. He got four arms, instead of two. His outfit was mainly black and white, with little pink accents here and there. He wore a white, hooded coat, with little black diamonds on it's hem, but a small minority was pink. His skin had stayed white and the rest of his clothes were black. His hair starkly resembled Lars', but it was black, as well. 

He was so...  _uncertain_ of himself. He didn't even know his name; none seemed to fit. Everything about him felt  _off._ Still, when a small voice asked to unfuse, a stronger, dominant one denied it. "We have to stay together!", he exclaimed. But it didn't matter how hard he tried, after a few minutes, the had no choice but to separate. They just could not hold themselves together.  

While White stood after unfusing, Lars fell from several meters, without the former reacting. Hitting the floor hurt and let some terrible memories surface. Still, he had to save this:" My diamond! I'm so sorry it didn't work longer- It's all my fault, please-", he begged. White turned around:" Why did you hate fusing with me so much, huh?  **Tell me the truth _,_** you whore!". 

Lars became increasingly scared, when White advanced on him:" I- I...Because I'm scared of you! You hurt me so much- I just can't do it! Please, forgive me!", he exclaimed, while cowering before him. "You are scared of me?", he stated and pulled up Lars by his throat, choking him again:" And I haven't even given you  _a reason to, yet._ You lied about loving me then, as well?". Lars shook his head as best as he could.

"Well, then,  **p** **rove it** ", White ordered, while letting Lars fall to the floor again:" Let's try it  _again_. This time, if it fails, I'll kill you". Lars took his hand again, no other way being available anyway. They danced and formed their fusion again, which seemed somewhat stable this time. 

He felt joyous at first, finally Lars had given in! But then, White felt her control slipping rapidly:" What are you doing?!", he shouted, while their four arms fought against each other. Lars would rip the gem out now! This was his best chance- he would be killed otherwise.  They tumbled and fell into a wall, breaking it. "I will bring an end to this!", Lars shouted through their fusion.

"NO! Stop-", White shouted to no avail. Lars had enough of him and all of this- he wouldn't play the victim! He had enough of people abusing him, too! One after the other, he assumed control of the arms and dominated White, but also prevented him from escaping their fusion. With great effort, he raised two arms towards their head, where the Diamond was and gripped it. It was easier than expecte-

Lars fell to the floor yet again and this time, he was sure, he broke something, as it hurt even worse. The Diamond flew halfway across the room into into the throne, from the force the pirate had used. He quickly scrambled up, despite the pain he felt in his lower spine and ran towards it. Climbing up the throne, he saw the White Diamond laying there, but it looked... _weird_. He took it in his hands to inspect it further. It was rather  _dull_ , not the brilliant white it had possessed before.

As he turned it in his hands, he saw it: it had cracked from being thrown so far. That hadn't been his intention- Oh stars... had he killed her? Was this the same as shattering? He had killed her for sure! The others would be mad. He heard someone enter and he knew he was in trouble. It were six guards or so, surly inspecting the loud noises they had heard. He quickly wanted to put the diamond away, but- it was too big for his coat's pockets! 

Frantically, he looked around for a place to hide it, but couldn't find one. It looked pretty suspicious, him standing on White's throne with his gem in his hand. They hadn't told the public about their decision of course- so they would attack him and he didn't know, how long it would take the others to come or if they came at all! 

Wait... he could dissolve Steven's bubbles, so maybe he could make them too? He had seen once, how Steven did it and send a gem off. He tried to copy his action and it even worked! Only- his bubble wasn't pink... Well, he couldn't dwell on it now, he had to get away. He jumped down the throne and went towards the guards, who asked him:" Where is White Diamond? We heard noise- what happened to that wall?!". "Uh... I don't know, it was like that, when I came here. Maybe she's in her other rooms?", he lied and quickly sneaked away from them. 

Good- now he only needed to get to Pink Diamond.

~~At PD's court~~

As quick as possible, he ran there and found Steven already standing in front of his throne,  waiting for him. "Lars! Thank the stars you're alright. I was so scared for you and-", he exclaimed, while Lars hugged him to death. However, he kept them from fusing for now. "Yes, I was scared as well- I really thought, she would kill me this time", he explained. The other two diamonds watched on from their thrones.

Yellow interrupted their happy little reunification:" So, where is she?", she asked. "Uuuh... I kind of bubbled her and send her off, but I don't know where...", he admitted awkwardly. He looked at Steven helplessly, who looked around the room and pointed up after a while:" It's up there. Luckily, you didn't put it in your room on earth or something". Blue looked up as well and quickly reached for the bubble.

"...Why is your bubble  _white_?", Steven asked suspiciously:" By all means, it should be pink. Also, when did you learn that?".

"I don't know why and I just learned it, like five minutes ago", he admitted. Blue had regarded the gem meanwhile:" YOU BROKE IT?!", she exclaimed, handing it over to Yellow.

"It wasn't my intention! I- I didn't want to kill her- I-", he began stammering again. He hated feeling so insecure all the time.

"You shattered her?", Steven asked him. His mate had actually achieved that? "N-no! It has a crack!", he explained. "Oh... Well, she isn't  _dead_ then", Steven laughed at him.

"What will you do with it now? A-and what happens in general?", Lars asked them all. Yellow frowned at him:" Leave that to us and don't worry your pretty head about it", she chuckled and warped the bubble away to  _somewher_ _e._ Great, he had just risked his live  ~~and his body~~ , but wasn't allowed to know, where White Diamond went? Diamonds were dicks...

"So", Steven started saying:" Can we discuss now, why your bubble is white?". Blue proposed something:" Maybe we should look, if he has taken on other powers from White? Because that's what I assume. Poofing someone while fused, isn't that healthy. Maybe it messed something up". 

Steven became concerned:" What do you mean?". "Well, if one partner is poofed, the others are as well. Your mate can't poof. That would be my explanation, as to why he's changed", she explained.

Lars became worried as well:" What kind of abilities did she have?". Yellow answered him, uncomfortable of doing so:" ...she could create gems. She was the first one to appear and in the beginning, she had to form every gem by hand. Nowadays, we use machines for that. Also, she played a vital part in the corruption beam. Without her, it doesn't work".

Lars didn't know whether he wanted those powers or not. Still, he asked:" Well, I could try making a gem, if you show me how". With that, Yellow send someone to gather the needed materials for a gem. Surprisingly, it seemed to be mainly dirt and minerals. Lars was told to open his hands and the dirt-mixture was put into them.

Then Yellow stated:" Now, you have to press together your hands and think of what you want to create- those are the materials for a simple Pearl. Just try it, I doubt it'll work just because your bubble looks different". 

Lars did as told and out came: nothing. "Hm, you seem to be right. Well, it doesn't matter. Maybe my bubble was always white? I've never made one before", he shrugged. He was kind of relieved, he had at least some of his humanity left. If he could have done that, he would be just like a gem! "Maybe it changes, depending on whom I fused with last, too. We'll have to try it some day", he proposed. But in the end, they couldn't know, what was going on.

When they prepared for the evening again, Lars was laying on their bed, pondering what happened. He still felt rather bad about his abuse... how could he not? Still, he was happy, they had solved their problem. However:" Really, what are your plans for the diamond authority now?", he asked his mate.

The latter climbed onto the bed and sat down next to Lars:" It's uh, kind of  _confidential._ But, we'll tell the public, White has been corrupted. They will believe it, as she has been a bit  _unstable_ since my disappearance.  Otherwise, we'll share her colonies and her gems. But I can't tell you the specifics, sorry". "Why not? I'm your mate! I don't like it, when you and your diamond-siblings always keep things from me and pretend, I wouldn't understand.  _Especially_ , when I risked my life for you!", Lars pried.

Steven sighed:" Lars... We are thankful for that, of course we are, but you just aren't a diamond. I can't make you equal...". "So all that stuff about  _changing rules_ was just fancy promises too...", Lars disappointedly pointed out. 

Steven petted his hair:" We can fuse and I've negotiated it for others as well, so, I kept that promise! Well,  _you_ are the reason it worked. I demanded it as a reward for your work", he proudly praised his pirate. "Oh... sorry", the latter apologized, at which Steven smiled.

"...Lars, I really like this. This  _normality_ right now. At least to me it seems, like everything will be alright now", the diamond admitted. "I hope it will. Still, I'm not quite happy, Steven", Lars confessed.

"Why not? I-Is it because of WD?", Steven afraidly asked. "It's a lot more. Yes, I think, I will need some time to recover from that fully. But also, those few days I've spend here- they were pretty shitty, to be honest. Steven, I can't stand next to your throne all day and do  _nothing_. And you shouldn't be there either.  Then also the thing of inequality between us and not being able to go home for now- it sucks...", Lars elaborated for his diamond.

Why didn't he tell him earlier? "Don't worry, the warp-pads work again, so we'll surely meet our friends soon! And we'll find a better occupation for you, I promise. Also, we can just fuse anyway, then we'll both do interesting stuff!", he optimistically said. He stopped petting Lars' hair for now and took in the damage, White had done again. He kissed away a lot of the bruises and asked:" Are you hurt anywhere else?". "My spine is a bit  _strained_ , but it'll be fine", Lars assured him.

Steven really wanted to sleep with his mate again. But it might be too early... Lars had gone through so much, it would be pretty selfish of him, to force intimacy on Lars. 

The pirate saw his mate frown:" Something wrong?". "It's just... I'd really like to be  _close_ , if you know what I mean. But I know, you probably don't want this now and I don't blame you, either. Just- forget about it. " Hm. We could-  _try_. But please, don't be too  _demanding_ , or  _rough_ and for the love of stars,  _don't hold me down_. I can't handle that", he whispered in shame. This was stupid, he should not be so scared of it...

"I promise, I won't. We can go nice and slow and if anything's wrong,  **tell me** and we'll stop", he declared.

Lars sat up up and pushed Steven down. Thankfully, with him Lars was topping. Otherwise, he wouldn't do this. He sat on his crotch again, ready to do this. When he kissed Steven onto the mouth and he was starting to run his hands down his sides, fiddling with his trousers, he felt the first pangs of fear. He let it slide for now and decided to make out with Steven more. He would calm down...

Steven was happy to have his mate back and  _it showed_. He bucked up into him, encouraging him to do  _more_ , without demanding too much. At least he tried.

Oh stars- he- couldn't! That...  _pounding_ reminded him of things, he did not want to to think about. Also, when Steven began unbuttoning his shirt and stroking over his chest, it really gave him the rest. More anxiety began to surface, as memories of being  _filled_ flooded his mind. He couldn't-

When he felt his mate tensing on top of him and quickly leaning back, he knew he had fucked up.  "Lars?", he asked, insecure.

"I- I can't do i-it's too much, Steven! I'm sorry-", he sobbed as he climbed down from his mate and and crawled to his side of the shared bed.

"It's alright, I told you that. It's my fault for going too fast. We can wait", he assured him, even if he would have to take care  _of it_ himself now. He quickly kissed Lars' cheek and went away then, granting his mate some space.

Besides being disappointed and sad, Lars also felt physically sick. He had for a while now, but attributed it to be thrown around so much, falling from a lot of hights. He undressed himself mostly and hid beneath the covers. He hated this... Why couldn't he be brave and do this? Why did he always cry? This sucked!

Steven returned after a while, finding his mate curled up and hiding. "Is everything alright?", he wanted to know. "Yes... I'm just feeling sick from all of this. Come here- I need you", he begged. He just wanted to hug someone now. Steven crawled beneath the covers and spooned his mate- hopefully, it was alright. Lars tensed up for a second, but quickly relaxed again.

"Why are you sick? You can't get ill...", he said concernedly. " I don't know-", Lars whined. He did not want to think about it for now, he just wanted to cuddle a bit and calm down. Have a bit of normality back.


	17. Normality

The next few days were  _rather_ normal. Well, Homeworld was kind of going crazy at White having been "corrupted". Lots of them were scared for their other diamonds now and White's gems were mourning her. However, there were even some gems, that were happy about her disappearance. They couldn't show that openly, though.

As of now, Pink was sitting on his throne as usual and Lars was by his side. Lars had refused fusing for now, wanting to sort things out for himself. He was still trying to cope with what happened... it still gave him  nightmares and he avoided sleeping now. He could still vividly remember being touched by WD. It made him sick, but at the same time, he missed some things about the diamond, too. He had felt so secure and  _good_ with him at times- even if it was only his magic forcing him to feel like that. He was rather confused, to be honest. He didn't know what to feel anymore- about Steven, about himself and about Homeworld. 

Today was a special day however, as some people from Beach City wanted to visit them. He was quite relieved to finally see them again. He didn't know though, if he should tell his parents about  _it_. How would he even begin that conversation? "Uh, hey mom and dad! I need to talk to you- Steven's sister transformed into a male and raped me"? Then, they would really put him into an asylum for the mentally ill. Also, he couldn't tell them the truth about White.

He couldn't even touch Steven right now. Lars allowed hugs and such- but not much more.  _Everything_ reminded him of the other diamond. It was almost, as if he was obsessed with him! Also, there was still the uncertainty about his bubble- it was white! And no one could tell him  _why_. Not even the Sapphires... Well, they generally tried to avoid him anyway. They always looked so sad and disturbed, sometimes also frightened, when they saw him. He had asked his mate about it, but he brushed him off, saying it was nothing. He hated this- Steven not telling him everything and keeping secrets. Lars knew, Steven had knowledge about this, he didn't share! He was sure of it...

All of this worry and pain... it made his stomach turn. He had even _thrown_   _up_ several times. Worst thing was, there was nothing in his stomach to puke out. It was only spit and air it seemed. Hopefully, it would end, once everything had calmed down more.

When Homeworld's sun was at it's highest point, a few Amethysts came and announced their visitors. Lars asked:" My diamond?". At which Steven smiled at him. "Can't we meet them halfway? It seems weird, if you sit on your throne all high and mighty", Lars pointed out.

"No. I have to do this- etiquette, you know? I'm sure they won't mind", the diamond whispered to him. "This etiquette is stupid...", his mate murmured. Still, Lars was careful not to embarrass his diamond and so, he obeyed it as well.  Either way, he wished Steven would do something against it. 

After a few minutes, it seemed like half of Beach City had come to visit them. Their families, the Crystal Gems and their friends had come. It didn't surprise him, that the off-colors and Peridot had stayed away. Steven had yet to grant them equality and convince Yellow not to shatter Peridot. He just didn't have the time for that, Lars was positive. He would do it soon...

Excitedly, Connie ran towards Steven, intending to hug him it seemed. Lars was already  mentally doing a facepalm... Oh stars, he we go- He had to pull out his weapon- he had been given a katana recently- and jump in front of his diamond to "protect him". This led to Connie tumbling in shock and falling down, while Lars pointed his sword at her. "Wha- What are you  _doing_? Why are you attacking  _me_?", she shouted. 

"I'm not  _attacking you_ , yet. But I have to protect my diamond  ~~or otherwise be punished severely~~. You can't just run up to him like that! Now go back a little,  _please_ ", he declared dutifully. Ok- maybe his job was _cool_ after all. But this didn't happen every day. He mainly just stood around and looked pretty.

As she went back to the others with wide eyes, he also retreated and sheathed his weapon. Steven coughed awkwardly:" Uh... sorry about that. But we can't take risks right now. Uh- Welcome to Homeworld!", he excitedly greeted them. Greg waved at him:" Hey, little buddy! Nice to see you-".

Several gems of his court gasped at his pure  _audacity_. Had that human just called their diamond  _buddy_? How dare he! Didn't he know, who he was talking to-?  

"Did I do something wrong _already_...?", Greg asked, confused of what could be going on. Lars elaborated:" We are in public, so you should address  _Pink Diamond_ with his proper title". This wasn't weird at all...

"Uh... sorry,  _Pink Diamond_ ", Greg apologized. He hoped, he wouldn't need to call his son that all the time now. "It's alright, dad. It's only a formality", Steven smiled and went on:" You are a bit early. I need to attend another meeting- Lars can show you around a bit in the meantime". Lars was surprised:" But- My diamond, you shouldn't go alone... I am supposed to stay with you". 

Steven shook his head:" Don't worry, i'll be with the other diamonds, so there won't be much to protect me from anyway. Also, it would be rude to let them wait". Ugh... Steven did that on purpose! He wanted to keep his secrets and avoid having to explain everything to the others. Diamonds were dicks... 

As Lars didn't go immediately, his diamond motioned encouragingly for him to  _go_.  _Fine_ , he thought and went. He asked the others to follow him and led them to one of their lounges. There were a few Rose Quartzs and he asked them to go away. He didn't want to have to follow  _etiquette_ here as well.

"But we were tasked to stay here by Pink Diamond!", they denied his request. Angrily, he turned towards them:" And now, I order you  **to go**   **away**. I don't need any babysitters!". Right away, they left the room. 

"Ugh... sorry about all of this. I know it sucks, but we can't change it", Lars explained. His mom smiled at him understandingly:" It's ok, honey. I'm proud of you for taking your...  _work_  so seriously". He laughed bitterly:"  _Yeah_...". 

Connie had calmed down from being attacked and asked excitedly:" So! What were your first days here like?". "...pretty awful, to be honest. There have been problems with White. As you might have heard already, she has been corrupted. Everyone is going crazy right now...", he lied. He had been  _forbidden_ to tell them, but really hoped, they would look through the lies.

Amethyst was shocked:" HOW? I thought the diamonds themselves were responsible for corruption". " We don't know", he lied again, but Garnet looked at him suspiciously. Should she say it...? "You are lying", she pointed out. Hopefully, she chose the right future...

He sadly smiled at her:" Perhaps. But really, even if I was, I couldn't tell you". Connie added:" ...but you are Steven's mate, he can't order you anymore!".

Who had told her that? "No, but I can get punished. And I'd  _rather not_ ", he explained, playing with the hem of his coat. 

Dante frowned:" Punish you? Son, that does not sound very healthy...". "Healthy? Seriously, I've been through worse", he noted:" The punishments for disobedience are nothing compared to what I've been through..."

Luckily for him, a gem of their court entered the room with a tray. Steven must have instructed them to bring food. He hoped, they had purchased it on  _earth_. She set it down on the table in front of them, bowed and went away again. The food looked fine. It consisted mainly of sweets and cake- typical for Steven. 

Lars motioned towards it:" Go for it, it's not poisoned,  ~~I hope~~ ". Greg needn't be asked twice! He greedily stuffed a muffin into his mouth and declared:" These are delicious! Where did you get them?". Lars shrugged:" It's best not to question it". The others also happily took the food and forgot about their awful discussion from before.

...He felt hungry, too. Which was weird, as he  _never_ did. He had almost forgotten how being hungry felt! Still, seeing that sweet, unhealthy stuff did something to the pirate. He took a pink muffin- why did everything  _have to be_ pink?!- and ate it reluctantly. He prayed, he wouldn't throw up again later... Either way, he couldn't help himself, but ate a few more, until his mom had to ask:" I thought, you couldn't eat that much?". "Uh... I can't. But I really want to and I'll probably regret it later, but I can't stop", he explained ashamed of himself.

A silence followed, but Amethyst interrupted it:" So, if White is gone, where is Pearl?". 

...Where was she? He hadn't seen her in awhile. "I don't know, maybe still at her court. You should ask Steven, when he joins us", he said, while munching down on a piece of lemon cake. "You don't know? But I thought, she would do stuff with you guys", Greg innocently inquired.

"Pearl- she doesn't really  _approve_ of us. Also, as White's Pearl, she couldn't leave her site. And even then, I seldom saw her together with her diamond. It's a bit weird, but I'm sure she's ok", he elaborated for Greg.

Connie, still wanting to uncover Lars' secret pointed out:" What did you do at her court, if she was corrupted?". "I was obviously there  _before it happened._ _You_ don't need to know, what I did there", he replied.

"You see, that your behavior is quite suspicious, don't you?", she asked him. He laughed at her:" What? Are you seriously surprised, I can't tell you governmental secrets? It's  _confidential_. But sure, go ahead. Ask the diamonds, maybe they will tell you". 

"Honey! Be nice to her! She only means well- we are all a bit concerned", his mom berated him, making him roll his eyes.

Just then, Pink Diamond entered the room, having finished his appointment. He was happy, nothing had escalated already. "Hey guys!", he greeted them and sat next to Lars, before also taking something to eat.

Amethyst asked again:" Steven, where is Pearl?". "I don't know, but-", he pulled out a screen, locating her:" Ah! She is still in White Diamond's court...Don't worry about her, I'll send someone soon, who will fetch her". 

Lars felt a bit anxious right now. There were no guards in this room, as he had send them out and he was sitting at his diamond's side, making them an easy target... 

"What's wrong, Lars?", Steven asked upon seeing him furrow his brows and looking around. "It's not good, that we are so... _defenseless_ right now. There are no guards, but me and I'm sitting here". Steven patted his arm reassuringly:" Don't worry. Why would anyone attack me? And even if, the Crystal Gems can protect me, as well.  **Calm down** ". Lars seemed super awkward right now and like he hid something, that wasn't good...

Calm down? Was that an order...? He didn't like being touched right now and  _ordering_ also felt all kinds of wrong, so he shuffled away from his diamond a bit. He would surely under-

What was he doing? He angrily glared at Lars, put an arm around him and  _pulled him back_. He knew, Lars couldn't really handle it, but he couldn't risk evoking suspicion! No one could now the  _true_ reason, whit WD was gone...

He was quickly pulled back- it made him afraid, honestly. He whimpered:" W-what are you doing? Stop-", while trying to wriggle away again. "What are  _you_ doing?!  **Stop backing away**!", he was answered. 

While the others had mainly ignored their little fight as of yet, thinking they were playing, they became aware  _now_. Violently, Lars shoved his diamond away, shouting:" **Stop** ordering me! You- you know I can't-". Steven was in shock from being shoved so hard, as he saw his mate going to the other end of the couch and abandoning him. 

Everyone had stopped eating, looking confusedly at the pair. An awkward silence followed, no one sure how to start questioning the obvious. Garnet's world broke apart- had Steven and Lars fought? But- they loved each other so much and they were so cute! "What is going on between you two?", she had to know. 

Lars stayed silent, eyes cast to the floor. With White, he had felt more secure and happy- no! Great, now  _those_ thoughts had surfaced again.

Steven swallowed nervously and explained:" Uh... He- he's just a bit nervous about you guys being here and all and I tried to calm him down. Apparently, I failed". Steven awkwardly laughed it off.

Dante stated:" I somehow don't believe you". "U-uh... Well- I tried to order him to calm down, which he doesn't like, because of inequali-", Steven went on.

"I was raped", Lars interrupted him, by neutrally putting it out there. His mom almost suffocated on a piece of candy:" Y-you-", she stuttered, unable to get it out. 

Still, he didn't look at them. "White abused me and forced me into a fusion. That's why she's gone now", he added to Steven's dismay.

"Lars! You can't just-", Steven interrupted. "I can't just  _what_? What do you expect me to do? Pretend like nothing has happened and lie? Just so you can be a happy little diamond? Really, what is more important- me or your grand Diamond Authority?", Lars snapped at him:" I've had enough Steven! I told you before!".

He just wanted to go  _home_. He should have never left...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last chapter. Thanks for reading, even if it was a bit long. For me, it was loads of fun writing it, so I hope you enjoyed it as well! OwO


	18. A Happy End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A happy end with smut! As usual, it's marked with "~~~~"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For BROOOOOOOO, who demanded a happy ending. I didn't want to do this originally, but now I'm happy, i did. But really, this is the last chapter now.

Seeing Steven only uttering nonsense, Lars had enough and burst out of the room. The choice for Steven should have been easy!  _He_ was more important! Lars was his mate! What was there to think about? So, his diamond had just  _used_ him, to get what he wants? He willingly sacrificed him, to poof White Diamond? He even risked him getting raped again... All of that, so he could sit on his throne all mighty and  _play_ emperor?

Lars ran down several halls and outside. He didn't want anyone to find him, he only wanted to be alone! So he went to the most unlikely place-  _White's court_. No one would suspect him there! He had to think about what to do next. Perhaps, he should just run away?

 

"This can't be happening! Please tell me, that this is all a really unfunny joke!", Dante shouted at the diamond in frustration. His son- he couldn't have been- Just no! 

Steven was crying:" No- it's true... I'm so sorry- I couldn't prevent it! A-and now, I behaved like an idiot...". He was utterly lost. Of course Lars was more important! Why didn't he say it? They should have never gone here- he wished, he wasn't a diamond after all. Now, he messed up everything even worse!

While his wife was bawling her eyes out as well, he exclaimed." But- but you are the ruler here! How could you not have prevented it, Universe!? Why did you even take my son here, if you don't care enough for him?". It had been a mistake, to ever let Lars go!

Rubbing his eyes, he defended himself:" White is far stronger than me and I didn't know, she could command him! I- love Lars! I care! I just- I can't abandon my duties either... If I could, I would turn back time and never come here at all! I'm so sorry...". He had to apologize to his mate and get him back!

Damn it. He knew Universe loved his son, but still, this situation was beyond horrible. "Where is he? We need to talk to him. Alone.", he demanded. Steven would only make it worse. 

Again, Steven pulled out his alien-tablet and located his mate:" He- he is in...  _White Diamond's court_!? Why would he-", he stuttered.

"No time to question it. We'll go after him, before he does something stupid", Dante cut him off, pulling his wife up and going outside. He would find his son! Finding that weird palace shouldn't be too hard...

As they went out, it became awfully silent in the lounge. The others were simply staring on in shock, while Steven broke down and cried even harder. Why would he go to that place? It couldn't be good- Maybe he had been wrong and his mate had planned something with White all along! Perhaps, he was a traitor- But no, not Lars. He was only confused and it was all his fault...

Greg couldn't bear seeing his son like that and pulled him out of the room to somewhere, where they would be alone. In an empty room, he comforted him:" Hey, little rock-star... Don't worry, everything will be okay again".

"No it won't! I- I lost my mate and I was betrayed by one of my sisters! It can only get worse... Lars hates me!", he reminded. 

Greg frowned:" I'm sure he doesn't, but you have to understand, how hurt he is. Being  _abused_ like that- it brakes people. He needs your support and when you didn't give him that before, he felt lost. He loves you, son. He just can't show it right now". 

"He- he won't even let me touch him! He's disgusted by it! E-even before... Sometimes I think, he’d rather be with White than me!", the little diamond wailed on.

"Steven... He can't handle being touched, because he's scared, he'll be hurt again. It's nothing against you in particular. And you know, White messed with his head; it will only intensify this. We've all seen, what it did to Pearl... He certainly wouldn't want to be with her", Greg hugged his little star. 

"He won't even fuse with me any longer, dad. And, now I've lost him for good...", he whispered in shame. His dad was wrong!

~~White's court~~

After what felt like an hour, they found that palace. They had to ask multiple gems, who all looked pretty fascinatedly at them. The court was scary. Everything was white and black, the building was also gigantic to them. Inside, it was even worse! It was dark, with little to no windows letting in light. In the throne-room, there were multiple white and grey gems sitting or kneeling on the floor, unmoving. Some of them whispered foreign words or whimpered silently. Maybe they mourned this white big gem? Those poor bastards, they probably didn't even know, how horrible she was...

But among them was also a not-so-white figure. The pink of his skin was a stark contrast to the rest of the room. In shock they saw their son kneeling pretty close to the empty throne, head down and surely crying. What was he doing here? Maybe Steven had been right to ask that question.

His wife was more courageous than him and went up to his child. While laying a hand softly on his shoulder, she whispered:" Honey... please, come with us-".

Violently, he shook her hand off and arose:" Leave me alone! You don't understand anything- just go!". Why were they here? He had wanted to be alone.

Dante was scared, they would be attacked by those other gems, but they didn't seem to register much of anything. He got closer to the two:" Lara-  _Lars_! Calm down- we only want to talk to you", he explained themselves.

"T-talk? What do you want to talk about? Should I describe you  _in detail_ , what he did to me? There's nothing to talk about-", he exclaimed, while sobbing uncontrollably. Why could no one leave him alone? The only thing missing now, was Steven coming here too and telling him, that he was worthless.

They didn't dare come closer. After all, they had seen him pull out a sword and almost attack Connie before. Still, his wife kept on talking:" Lars, Steven didn't mean to hurt you! You didn't even give him a real chance to explain himself- he loves you, he just can't leave his people!".

He laughed bitterly:"  Sure he can't. It's not as if he has been gone for thousands of years! Mom, he used me! He- he was even willing to get me raped again...".

She went on:" It's unfair to let him choose between you and a whole civilization. No one could make a choice, they wouldn't regret later. And I'm sure, he would not have allowed that". Lars became silent at that, eyes cast to the floor, so she pried further:" What are you doing here?".

Was it unfair? He guessed it kind of was, but still, Steven should have said, Lars was more important! But... now he felt like an asshole. "I... I don't really know myself. S-sometimes, I miss him- White I mean. It wasn't all bad with him and in the end, even fusing felt kind of nice. I feel horrible for it, I-", he stuttered.

Dante became increasingly concerned:"Lars- that  _thing_ , it hurt you so much, you can't miss it".

"But  _I do_! I even had thoughts of rather being mated to him!  I... It's  _disgusting_. I feel disgusted of myself!  I shouldn't miss him- but I can't stop thinking about White. It's like he never left. I don't know, what to do-", he cried. It was true. He missed him  _so much_ , sometimes he- he even  _touched himself_ , because of it, thinking about what happened... While he knelt here, he also had thoughts of rescuing White... He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help it! It was like WD was invading his mind...

Concerned, his wife looked at him. This thing must have messed up their son pretty bad to make him think that. Dante decided to stop standing around uselessly. He went up to his son and embraced him, preventing escape. However, Lars didn't even fight back much, instead burying his face in his father's shirt and sobbing. He murmured:" Don't worry, it will go away soon, I'm sure of it. Perhaps, you're still under it's magic or something or you are simply confused. Those aren't your  _real_ feelings. Now- let's get away from here and you make up with your mate, alright?"

Lars only nodded, to weak to say anything. His dad was right. He loved his diamond- that's why they were mated in the first place. These thoughts- they weren't his! He didn't agree to them  ~~much,~~ so they couldn't be. 

~~Back at PD's court~~

Meanwhile, the other visitors had scattered and avoided Steven at all costs. They didn't want to get tangled up in this mess even more. Sadly, Pink was sitting in his throne, as his gems did their best to cheer him up: bringing him Pearls to sing and dance, his favorite food- but it did not help. He wished he could go to Lars, but everyone adviced against it. His mate had to come to  _him_ , not the other way around.

He waited for what felt like eternity, but soon three people entered the hall. He couldn't help himself, but ignore the etiquette- he jumped down in joy and ran up to his mate. Still, he stopped- he couldn't hug him, he would upset him again...

Tired, Lars smiled at him, though. "I think, we should talk again", he simply stated. Steven enthusiastically nodded and led Lars back to their bedroom, there, they sat down on their shared bed. 

Steven began apologizing." Lars... I'm so sorry, I didn't say anything.  _Of course_ , you are more important than this! You know, I can't leave my people behind, but I would do everything for you-  _even that_. I- I love you, but I understand, if you don't-". He was cut of however, by lips on his. 

It still made him afraid like mad, all his systems screaming to  _stop and run away_ , but he was stronger. This was only Steven, his mate! He wouldn't hurt him. After a while, he let go:" I- I understand, Steven. I don't want you to give all of this up. I was an  _asshole_ for making you decide. I was just so hurt by- by  _everything_! By you not telling them about my rape, commanding me... I couldn't bear it. I'm sorry, as well", he explained himself. 

Carefully, Steven lightly embraced Lars, as to not cross any boundaries. He didn't want to ruin this. 

Lars however, hugged him tighter of his own accord. It was easier for him, to be the one demanding physical contact, rather than have others do it. "But... there are more things, I have to tell you of", he admitted.

"What kind of things? Something bad?", Steven became scared. Lars nodded:" I-it's about White. This is pretty embarrassing, but please don't get mad, ok? I miss him. Like  _real bad_ ".

"Y-you miss  _him_ ? First of, why  _him_ and secondly- just  _why_? I don't understand...", Steven worriedly regarded him.

"It's him, because he, uh, changed his gender with me. You can probably  _guess_ why it would be easier for him, to do, what he did as a male. Then... I don't know why- I just do! I- I miss the way he  _touched_ me and what he  _did to me_. I... sometimes even get aroused by it, ok? But still, I hate what he did! I know it's wrong. Also, while being in his court just now, I had this strong urge to seek and free him, or even fuse again- I think, something is seriously wrong with me. Please, Steven, you have to help me", he began sobbing yet again. His mate would throw him out now, for sure!

"Love, I'm not mad at you. I don't really know how to help you, but I guess your thoughts are a leftover from her, uh,  _his_ commands. Or perhaps he still has got some power over you, while poofed", Steven kissed his cheek. He would never get angry at Lars for this.

"Thank you... Maybe it'll go away over time? I just feel so horrible, because of it. I feel like I'm cheating on you", Lars confessed. He felt really guilty, when masturbating to White, but also pretty  _good_. He didn't know, how to feel.

"Don't, it's ok", Steven reassured him again. 

"Y-you know... I, uh, could  _make it up to you_ , if you wanted. I'm positive, I can do it now! Just-", the pirate began caressing Steven's crotch with trembling hands. Ok, maybe he was severely scared- but he would manage!

The diamond took his hands and held them still:" Lars-  _no_! You don't have to do this, I know you are afraid of it. We can wait, seriously. It's  _alright_. You don't need to make up for anything". 

"B-but what if I want to?", Lars inquired.

"Then,uh, go for it, I guess? But you have to promise me, you do it for your sake,  _not mine_. And if it becomes too much, we'll stop right away. Please, I don't want to hurt you!", Steven pressured him. He would love to do it, but not if it scarred his mate even more.

"I promise, my diamond~ Just, don't push or hold me down, alright?", he asked. 

~~~~

Nervously, he swallowed, as Steven nodded and smirked at him. "I'm your's to command", his diamond woefully exclaimed, which made him chuckle at the irony of it. Slowly, but more or less confidently, he threw his poor coat into the nearest corner and started unbuttoning his shirt. Steven meanwhile took his things off as well. He pushed his diamond onto the mattress, taking control. He let his hands roam over his chest, stopping at his gem:" You know, I always have to think about one thing. Back when I had to poof you- why didn't we just pull out your gem? It would have been easier than  _stabbing_ you".

"Uh... _I forgot_. But now that you've pointed it out, I feel pretty stupid, thank you", Steven laughed. Dangerously, Lars started pulling a bit at the diamond:" I could kill you now, if I wanted to. Poof you and then throw you against the wall for a while~", he whispered into his diamonds ear. Being in control was nice and it lessened his fear a lot.

A bit anxious, Steven chuckled. He trusted Lars, but it was still weird to be near poofing. 

"Hm~ Did your heartbeat just quicken? I would say, you're scared. You better behave or I'll pull it out for real~", he joked at his Pink Diamond, while biting marks into his neck, gaining him some weak moans. He petted the gem once for good measure and diverted his attention. He started grinding into the one below him, making more moans appear. I-it kind of stressed him out a bit, but he kept going. He couldn't stay afraid of this for all of his life.

He had to touch  _something!_ He hoped, this wouldn't scare his mate away, but he wanted to do something, too! Lovingly, he began stroking Lars' sides, waiting for a reaction. He didn't seem to mind, so he went on: caressing his abdomen and even his behind a little more intensely.

Oh. Being grasped there  _reminded_ him of- no, he best not think about him. This was Steven, not White! Still, besides getting a bit more anxious, he hardened. ~~The thought of WD forcing him into a hug, massaging his butt and grinding against him- it made him moan louder. He felt guilty for it, but he couldn't stop thinking of him. White pushing him onto the bed, entering him and forcing him to come...~~

Wow, Lars really seemed to enjoy being touched a little. He took it as a sign, to stroke somewhere else- snapping his mate out of his haze.

"P-please don't. Please no touching. I-I can't take it", Lars exclaimed, while suddenly gripping Steven's hands and prying them off of himself. He had to stop thinking about White, and Steven touching him ~~like he had~~ didn't help. 

"I'm sorry- I just thought-", the diamond stammered.

"It's alright", Lars simply shut him up and kissed him. Still, after a few minutes, hands were on his hips again. "Steven-", he growled:"  **Behave** ". 

"What- are you going to tie me up?~", the younger boy teased. 

Tying him up was actually a pretty good idea... He fished for his own shirt besides the bed and then brought his diamond's hands up to the bedframe. "Maybe you shouldn't have said that, my diamond~"; he chuckled. Expertly, like any real pirate could, he made a secure knot and tied his diamonds hands up. Problem solved.

"Nngh~ Lars, please don't!", he begged. He wanted to touch- just a little!

"Hmm... so needy. Maybe I should shut your little mouth up, too?", he asked. He crawled up a bit more and stroked his dick in front of Steven, which was already leaking. " **Suck it** ", he ordered, while pushing it towards his diamond's mouth and smiling at him. 

He was a bit nervous again, never having done this before. But he could at least try... Reluctantly, he licked at the tip, before taking it into his mouth. He couldn't get a lot of it in, not  _like Lars_. He only began gagging, when his mate pushed in more or moved. Also, he began gasping for air and drooling all over it.

To be quite honest- Lars was  _way_ better at it than Steven. The display was pitiful, to say the least. Still, he didn't push Steven. He was tempted to thrust into him, making choke and cry, but he wasn't  _sadistic enough_ for it.  ~~Unlike White~~ ~~had been~~. He only moved in and out a little, enjoying the desperate mewling noises below him, mixed with gasps. His fear was pretty much not there right now, dominating his mate.

Anyways, after some time, he became bored of Steven's attempts and released him. "You didn't cum", his diamond regrettably noted. He was kind of sad about it, he had given his very best after all. 

"Mmh~ Don't worry, you've done good", Lars lied to him. No use in making his little bubble sad. 

"Will you reward me now?", Steven pleadingly looked at him. 

"Maybe... or I'll leave you here and go away. I think that would be funny", he joked evilly. He would do that one day, but not today...

"Please no!", he begged again. He would die!

The pirate pondered his next move, while stroking Steven's cock. Well, there were only two options. He could top his diamond or he could  _be topped_.  ~~Since his encounter with White, he had taken a liking to it~~. It would certainly surprise Steven and show him, that he trusted him. But maybe he would get scared... Still, he wanted this to be a bit more rough than usual, but Steven just couldn't give him that. If he entered Steven without preparation, he would begin crying and begging him to stop  _for real_. He had already been disappointed with the blowjob, so...

He leaned down, nearing the  diamond's dick and taking it into the mouth. Steven almost thought, he would return the favor, but was disappointed. Lars had only teased him, it seemed to him, but the true intent became known to him fast. His mate had positioned himself above Steven, ready to make him enter.

"L-Lars! Nnngh- What are you doing? You don't have to-", he intervened, but Lars explained:" I don't have to, but I want it~".

Slowly, Steven entered his mate without any choice. T-this had to hurt, right? He didn't even prepare himself? Nevertheless, Lars was fully seated in his lap after a few moments, adjusting to it.  ~~Which wasn't so hard, as White had been bigger~~. Where were these thoughts coming from?!

It was nice to not be on the receiving end- Lars was rather tight and his coolness was also totally exciting, making him buck up and making Lars moan. The latter started lifting himself and pushing down again, fucking the cock inside him. However, the other boy refrained from thrusting a lot, scared it would remind his love of certain things.

"Ugh-  _Steven_ , don't make me do all the work.  **Fuck me**!", Lars noisily demanded. He wanted his mate to be rough with him  ~~like White had~~. 

"B-but is that ok? Won't it, uh, scare you?", Steven insecurely asked. He didn't want his mate overestimating himself.

"No, I'll be fine- just do it", he assured his mate. His concern was cute and all, but not, when he was horny. 

Luckily, the diamond began thrusting up into the cold body above him, as best as he could, which wasn't good enough, it seemed. Lars untied his hands, freeing him. "Please~  _more_ ", Lars whined.  ~~White really had ruined him, it seemed~~.

"M-more?", Steven didn't understand. In the beginning, Lars hadn't wanted to be touched and now he did? 

"YES! Please- go  _harder_ , be rough with me! I can take it", Lars sobbed from need.  ~~White could have given him that~~. 

 ~~~~ ~~~~Unsure, Steven rolled them over, with Lars below him and thrust into him harder, as demanded. He wasn't really into that... Still, if Lars wanted it, he wouldn't deny him that. He had suffered enough as was.

Yeah, this was more like it. Steven thrust so hard, it already hurt a little. That was overshadowed by him hitting his sweet-spot a few times, though.  ~~White had hit it everytime.~~   _It wasn't enough_. It was right, White had been better. ~~He had fucked him so good, without mercy, making him his servant... Making him cry and moan in desperation. He could still feel his dick entering him with force, maiming him- or making him blow him, forcing him to choke. White wasn't uncertain or cared for his well-being- he just did what he wanted and Lars _loved it_.~~

Perhaps he really should free him? ~~WD would generously reward him for his good servitude. He would fuck him for hours on end, making him cum over and over again, begging for it. Being _bred_ by his  _true_ diamond. He would be much better than Ste~~ -  _What was he thinking_???

Fear swelled up, as he recognized thoughts, that weren't entirely his own. W-where were they coming from? He-

"Is everything alright?", his mate worriedly inquired, as his love had tensed up. 

"No- I mean, yes! It's ok, just keep going  _please_ ~" , he falsely begged, hoping he would do so.

"If you say so. I love you, ok? I don't want to hurt you", Steven reminded him again, while starting his movements again. He leaned down to kiss his mate, who eagerly returned it.

He had to focus. He was  _doing_ _Steven_ right now, not White! Luckily, he seemed to be able to concentrate more on the matter at hand. His Pink Diamond deliciously thrust into him, pointing for that special spot. As he felt the diamond tense up and release inside of him, he couldn't help, but cum as well. His cum felt impossibly hot inside of him, as he was so cold himself- it was just too much for him. 

~~~~

After their little make-up-session, they happily exited their room. Steven must have been the happiest guy on earth; he had his mate back completely! Meanwhile, Lars was happy as well, alas rather concerned about his intrusive thoughts-  _if they even were his_. 

Sadly, Steven had to attend to his duties and sat down in his favorite spot again, while Lars disappointedly stood besides him. He couldn't stand seeing his mate like that. He could understand, that he was bored. "Do you want to fuse? Then you don't have to stand there", Steven hopingly asked. He'd love to form Stars.

He couldn't. Not with those weird thoughts. "N-no. I'd rather not, sorry. Maybe later, my diamond", he declined. 

His mate frowned sadly, but had another idea. "Do you want to sit on my throne, too? It's too big for me anyway", he proposed.

He blinked. "Uh, but what about etiquette, _my diamond_?", he had to know. Usually, his diamond always followed it! But as the latter shrugged, he climbed onto it as well, leaning against him. It earned them a few shocked gasps again, but they didn't care much. It was nice, being comfortable with touching his mate again. It would stay a bit awkward, but not as much as before.

Suddenly though, he felt utterly  _sick_. "My diamond?", he quickly asked for permission to speak, at which he was nodded to. "I'll have to excuse myself for a moment. I think, I've eaten too much again", he explained, while hurriedly searching for the next bin or something, to puke his guts out.

Lars was always so... irresponsible, when it came to food. He should have known better!

He couldn't ponder it longer, though, as his visitors came back. Expectingly, they looked at him. Had he finally resolved everything? But where was Lars, then? They had wanted to have a fun day, not one filled with drama.

Dante spoke first:"...Where is my son? I thought, you made up". 

"Oh! Uh, we did, but he's not feeling well. He ate too much before and, uh... now he's throwing it all up. Don't worry! Otherwise, we're fine", he assured them. Dante didn't believe him at first, but did, when his son returned, looking kind of ill and sat besides his boyfriend, leaning against him for support.

Steven was worried:" Everything alright?". 

"Not really, I feel pretty shitty, my diamond. Maybe the food  _was_ poisoned after all" he jokingly said.

"I don't think so; you just ignored your limit. You don't have to stay here, if you're ill, You can go lay down, too. I'm no that cruel of a diamond", Pink said, while petting his pirate. But the latter shook his head.

Now, Connie began to speak:" So... can we do something fun now? After all, it seems like all has been resolved. Also, you still owe me a dance, Steven".

Lars' mom's eyes lit up:" We could throw another party!". 

Pearl, who had  _finally_ been brought back from the depths of WD's court, added:" We can't throw a party like humans would. It's not fit for diamonds". But really, she just didn't feel like partying. She was still mad internally at the couple and pretty riled up about White being "corrupted". She hadn't done her job right... Also, where would she go now...?

Greg disagreed:" Maybe they just think that, because they have never been at a  _good_ party before! But we could make a good one. We'll get Sadie's whole band and Lars can make food, I was told! It's going to be perfect!".

Steven interrupted their banter in reminding them of one little detail:" Guys... you know Homeworld is still mourning White Diamond, right? We can't celebrate".

Connie wasn't having it:" Then it'll be a secret party! Without the public!". She wanted to form Stevonnie again so bad...

As Steven was indecisive, Lars whispered to him, as his advisor:" I think that's a good idea. We could even invite the other diamonds, strengthen our bond to them or something". 

Steven nodded:" Okay, then. We'll do it, but I'll invite Yellow and Blue as well". 

~~Later at the Homeworld-Party~~

In the end, the party wasn't so secret and small at all. Blue and Yellow had insisted on making it big and glamourous, making them all dress up nice and fancy. It eluded Pink and Lars, how that was appropriate with WD's corruption, however. Also, no human was singing. It was only Pearls. They sang nice, but it was a bit unsettling to the humans. 

Right now, The Barrigas and Universes were  _finally_ having their planned meal together. They were sitting with five people at one table in  one end of the room. The others were also eating, but in different groups, at different tables.  

Lars' mom was beyond thrilled:" It's so nice to go out with you guys, even if the  _situation_ is not as planned. You have to come visit us on earth as well!".

Pink assured her:" We will, but it might take a while. I still can't leave Homeworld- too much work and all. Invading foreign planets across the galaxy is quite  _time-consuming_ ". 

Invading planets? He thought Steven wouldn't do that! Greg had to ask:" But, since when do you have colonies? I thought you would be against it, honestly".

"Well, earth has always been my colony. And I have to invade non-organic planets for resources, gem-production, power... I can't not do it", the diamond admitted. He was surprised, everyone seemed to think otherwise. But he couldn't rule without his own planets! He would be so weak compared to the others...

"Universe, I thought you and your alien-sisters were equal", Dante pried. 

"Blue and Yellow are technically equal to me yes, but they still hold more influence", he explained. That, he would change however.

Meanwhile, Lars was sitting there, staring blankly at his, as of yet, empty plate. He felt kind of left out. He couldn't really speak on that topic. He knew a few things of what Steven was doing, but not much. He had been too preoccupied with his own problems and many things, he wasn't told. He was no Pearl after all, he couldn't be ordered to shut up  ~~anymore~~. 

His mom, loving as always, took notice of her son quietly sulking. " So, honey, what is it,  _you_ do here everyday?", she asked, smiling proudly at him, as if he achieved anything.

He looked around, wanting to know, whether he could speak freely or  _not_. But, there were the other diamonds sitting  _right behind_ them. That surely wasn't coincidence. "I protect my diamond from harm and have sword training for that. Also,  I sometimes attend meetings and give advice to him. That's pretty much it", he neutrally explained. He couldn't really say anything bad about it, with  _them_ listening. They were super sceptic about him as is, thinking, he should be replaced by a Pearl.

"And in your free time? Have you any gem-friends here?", she asked, hoping it wasn't as bad as described.

"I don't... I don't have much free time. I rarely leave my diamonds side, as I can't. So, most of my free time is spend with him as well. That time, I or  _we_ mainly use for sleep, which the gems don't need, and such. Uh, sometimes I visit the gardens alone. Most other gems leave me alone, Sapphires especially. Some of our court are a bit _overly dedicated to me_ , though. They tend to pester me about Pink Diamond or try to bribe me, so I will speak well about them in front of my Diamond", he knew it sounded horribly boring. And it kind of was. 

Dante was sure, he was joking:" What? My son- working? I don't believe you Lars. I love you, but you never were attending school or doing your chores. So really, what do you do?", he laughed.

Lars blushed and frowned at once. "I'm not pulling your leg, dad. You've seen me do my job, when you first came here. That's what I do every day. Me and my diamond- we aren't just having a fun vacation here...", he angrily told him. 

Steven supported him:" Yes, Lars is doing his job very well, even if he'd rather do something else, I'm sure". He kissed his mate on the cheek, making him blush more. Why did he do that in front of their parents?!

His father was taken aback:" But, if you wanted to, you wouldn't have to do it, do you? You aren't a slave, right?"

"Slave is such a big word, dad. You know my diamond and the others can't command me anymore, still, I have to  _obey_. I can't just tell them to  _fuck off_ , if I don't want to do something. I can still get punished for disobedience. So, uh, no, I don't really have a choice. But it isn't so bad, because my diamond doesn't abuse this and gives me enough freedom to say what I think", he truthfully elaborated. 

"...Punishments? You've said that before, but what exactly are they?", his dad asked further.

"Don't worry about it, dad. It's a bit more severe than detention, that's for sure. But it won't kill me, right, my diamond...?", he regarded his diamond expectantly, who nodded quickly.

Okay... maybe this was worse than previously thought. Dante went on:" ...son, you know you can always come back home, right? You don't have to do this. Also, can you stop calling him your diamond? It makes me all the more worried".

Awkwardly, Lars laughed." Thank you, dad. And no, I can't. I have to". Can this go any worse? Perhaps if they bring up the rape again...

Luckily for them, the food arrived. It looked pretty  _normal_ , as it was sat down in the middle of their table. But there was no knowing, if it really was. Everyone took something, but Lars waited. He was  _hungry_ again, seeing that delicious food. But he didn't want to puke again... 

Steven saw his inner turmoil and put  _a bit_ of food on Lars' plate, that shouldn't be too much. It was better than having his mate sulk or eat too much. Lars gladly took the offered food and shoveled it into his mouth like some kind of starved animal.

"Honey, are you sure you usually don't need to eat? You look like you're really hungry!", his mom worried. 

Between eating, he assured her again of his well-being:" I'm sure, I don't have to. I like eating, though. The only problem is, I always eat too much...". With that, he continued happily eating the food, Steven had given him. 

However, he noticed concerned glances being thrown his way now and then. He could guess why, but he didn't know how to react really. He didn't  _want_ to talk about White more, but he also had to comfort his parents... "What's wrong?", he neutrally inquired. 

Mrs. Barriga looked insecurely at her husband, before admitting:" You know why... I'm glad you two are happy now, but I-  _we_ can't forget what happened to you, son".

Great. He stopped eating, laying his fork down and looking at his parents. "Mom... it's alright- well, ok, it  _isn't_ , but you shouldn't worry too much about me. White is gone and no one else would dare to hurt me like that. I'll just need some more time, to cope with it fully. Now, please let us not talk of this anymore", he pleaded. 

Meanwhile, only a few gems were dancing to the Pearls' singing, no humans. Their dances were rather modest as well- like children on their first ever party. Steven understood the others, though. They probably felt kind of out of the loop, the party not being like one of their's at all. For a while, they were just sitting in silence, although having finished their dinner.

Lars couldn't handle this social awkwardness any longer and proposed an idea:" My diamond? You promised Connie to dance, maybe you should do that now? She seems to be finished as well". Hopefully, Steven would just fuse with her, so  _he_ didn't need to do it Normally, he would be against it, but he didn't want Steven to know, how "he" felt towards White. He didn't need Pink getting jealous over thoughts, he couldn't even control. 

"Oh! You are right, I  will ask her right away!...Uh- but she'll probably fuse with me, is that ok?", his diamond added. He really didn't want to hurt Lars anymore or make him loose trust in Steven. But when his mate nodded encouragingly, he stood up and pulled his best friend into a dance, bringing a bit of life to the party.

Greg became suspicious:" Why don't you dance with him? Also, why do you agree to this all of a sudden? At the last party, you were quite  _aggressive_ towards her _"._

"I don't really want to fuse for now and if I dance with my diamond, it will most likely happen. It doesn't matter, what I want concerning Connie, though. It is advantageous for Pink Diamond's and earth's image , if he dances with her. We can't miss that opportunity", he elaborated. It wasn’t a lie. It would be good for Steven to be seen with a human. 

He looked over to them, but regretted it almost immediately, as they were currently merging. Stevonnie then assumed dancing alone in the middle of the dance-floor, stealing everybody's show. Dramatically, he sighed and rested his head on the table's surface, not wanting to see. Maybe he should not have proposed it...  ~~White would never leave him alone like that~~. 

 ~~He would care for Lars. He would dance with him, make them fuse and show everyone, how much Lars was worth. He would show him, how much he loves Lars. He just needed to free him...~~ Argh! Those thoughts again... But maybe he was right- White would fuse with him and only him. Lars had been his first, he was sure. He missed White...

A hand on his shoulder made him jump suddenly- he slowly turned around and looked into Blue's big eyes. He stood up and stood in front of her, eyes cast down however.

"Human Lars... would you grant me the honor of dancing with me? Yellow sadly resists any attempts of mine to encourage her, but I still want to. I can't dance with anyone too low-ranked, however. And as your mate is already quite occupied- there's only you left", she asked him in her usual sad tone. 

"O-of course, Blue Diamond!", he agreed, while doing a quick and simple bow. He didn't really have a choice, anyway... 

He led her to the dancing area, while she shrank down to a size, he could work with. Surprisingly, she let him take the lead. He did his best to show off his  _amazing_ skills- he had promised his mom after all! Also, he didn't want to get punished for doing it badly. While spinning, he saw Blue Pearl looking kind of distressed about them doing this, but he couldn't help her. Stevonnie even stopped in her tracks, watching on in awe. It was so pretty! 

"Human Lars...", she began whispering to him in private:" How do you feel, concerning what happened between you and White?". She pitied him.

He almost stopped in his tracks at that question. Why did  _she_ have to ask him, as well? "Better... but still not completely good, Blue Diamond. I have these thoughts, which don't really seem to be mine- making me miss her and demanding, that I help her. Do you know anything about that?", he admitted. Hopefully, it was alright to tell her.

"Hm... I'm glad you are doing well. White is very strong, even compared to us. Perhaps she can keep on commanding you, alas weaker, when poofed? I don't know... As long as you can withstand her, it can't be so bad", she pondered. 

After a pause, he asked her:" Are you and Yellow Diamond ok, too?". He did it more out of good manners, than really caring.

"We are rather sad, that she would betray us like that, but also, because she is gone now. We loved our sister, after all", she answered him. 

Mrs. Barriga felt very proud of her son, even if she was quite concerned, he was kept here against his will partly. She turned to her husband and Greg:" I don't know how to feel about all of this. I can't quite discern, whether Lars is happy here or not and if he is forced to stay here".

Greg shrugged:" Well, at least Steven seems to be happy... But I also think, your son is being somewhat pressured to stay here. I guess, he's a bit unhappy". But that wasn't Steven's intention, he knew. His son would never hurt or force his boyfriend into something! He loved him far too much...

Dante frowned:" But what are we supposed to do? We can't just kidnap him...". He wanted to help, but there were little to no options.

"How was fusing with her? How did it feel?", Blue wondered.

"The first fusion was horrible, to be honest. We hurt a lot and there was nothing positive to be seen. The second one was a lot easier, but it ended rather quick as well. If she hadn't forced me- I think it could have been nice. I like fusing...", he admitted.

"But why don't you fuse with Pink then? I heard him asking you", she said, being a little suspicious.

"I-I... I still have these thoughts, I told you about. And I , uh, don't want him to hear them. He knows of it, don't worry, but maybe not, how far they go and how intense they are", he whispered to her, as Stevonnie was quite close to them.

"Would you fuse with another? I never fused before...", she asked hopingly. She had asked Yellow, but she is still against it. And Pink... she still couldn't bear it. If she fused with him, she would know for sure, that her old sister is  _gone_. This human was the best alternative. She hadn't got so many servants, she would grant the honor and Blue Pearl was too low ranked. 

He stuttered:" A-are you proposing, that I have to fuse with you?". He became anxious- he couldn't cope with a second forced fusion!

"I'm not commanding you. It's your choice. If you don't, we won't speak of it again", she smiled at him. Seems, like no one wanted to fuse with  _her_. She had always dreamed of it, but never did it, because it was forbidden. Theoretically, fusing with the other diamonds was possible. But, White had never wanted to, as well as Yellow and Pink. They didn't, because they were scared to reveal any secrets to one another. 

He thought a bit about it. Was there any harm in doing it? Image-wise, it would be very good for Pink's court. Steven might get a bit jealous- which was good, as Lars was a bit angry right now as well, seeing Stevonnie dance happily. Also, it might cheer up Blue and maybe she could observe these  _thoughts_ as well- giving him a better explanation for it. Nervously, he nodded and agreed:" Let's do it, then". 

She smiled at him, this time, it wasn't even a sad one! She was so glad, she would get to experience this! Yellow would certainly disapprove, but it could also make her want to do it, too! Their steps quickened a little at that- preparing to fuse. 

Lars quickly looked at Stevonnie and jokingly stuck his tongue out, which gained him a confused look at first. But when he felt them merging, it turned to a wide-eyed, shocked one.

She was-  _shocked_ herself for a few seconds. This was very interesting. As Blue had expected, their fusion was rather...  _sad_. She wasn't sad about anything in particular, it was just her general feeling. But, she also felt excited and a bit happy, so she wasn't completely depressed. Still, she felt rather  _emotionally unstable_ , which, again, was no surprise. 

"W-what have they done?!", Dante shouted. Why was his son and that Diamond inside a bigger person? Why did they become one? He thought, Lars only did that with his boyfriend! He was also quite scared of that woman. She was  _really_ tall- taller even then that blue one had been before. 

Greg explained." They fused". Dante should know, what that was by now...

Why had Lars fused with her, but not with him?! Lars was his mate! Shocked, Steven couldn't hold his fusion and he and Connie fell apart. The new fusion had light purple skin, completely white and long hair and dark purple robes with little black , pink and white diamonds on them here and there. Also, they had only two arms this time. "You fused?! Why? Lars- you said, you didn't want to!", Steven exclaimed.

"Yes, it seems like we fused... Lars didn't want to fuse with  _you_. Not for now, at least. Don't worry, he loves you still. But he wanted to make Blue happy, who wanted to fuse with someone", she explained.

"But he's  _my_ mate!", Steven shouted angrily. 

"Are you jealous? You fused with someone else as well", she laughed at him. Steven was so very adorable, when he was like that...

"N-no! Of course not!", he defended himself. Before he could go on however, Yellow came over to regard that- that  _atrocity_. 

"Blue? How could you do  _this_?", she demanded to be told.

"It is allowed now and as there was no one else to fuse- she took him. Stop being so angry at me...", she begged. Maybe they should have done this in private. 

Connie regarded her in awe:" This is awesome! Do you have a name yet? What powers do you have? Tell us everything- don't listen to them!". 

Yellow almost wanted to crush that organic creature, but stopped, when she remembered, that Pink and Blue would not approve.

"I don't. I have Blue's powers... and maybe the little ones, Lars has", she admitted.

"Then we'll give you one! How about...hm... Blue Lars! Or Lars Diamond... or Blue human! Hm. They all sound kind of stupid", she admitted. What would they call her? Lars wasn't a gem, so no new gem formed. And Blue wasn't human, so they couldn't merge their names, either. Nothing fit! "What was Lars' and White's fusion called? Maybe we could-", she started. They could name it like that!

 ~~Black Diamond~~. What was that? The thoughts, she had been told about... It weren't their thoughts. It was someone else's- White's? "I-it was called Black Diamond. White named it after the color scheme, I think. So... I should be Purple Diamond", Purple answered, unsure. 

Yellow frowned:" About that- why was it black anyway? Your color I understand, but that one? And now you even have white and black diamonds on your coat- which doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Something here is amiss". That human- had he betrayed them? Had he made plans with White?

Purple Diamond looked at he coat- she was right! There was a pattern on it- a black diamond between a white and a pink one. It symbolized Lars' and White's fusion, she was sure- but why? "I don't know. It shows their fusion, but I don't know why- I-", she began stuttering, before falling apart as well. Lars fell again from a significant hight, but luckily, he was quick enough to bubble himself and land  _somewhat_ softly. Again- the bubble was  _white_ , which disproved their previous idea, that it's color depended on whomever Lars fused last with.

Lars was advanced on by Yellow now, who had drawn a sword out of her gem and pointed it at him. While sitting on the floor, he scaredly shouted:" What are you doing?".

"You are planning something, human! What are you hiding, huh? None of this makes any sense- it can't be explained with you being  _just you_. You have to be fused with White right now- nothing else makes sense!", Yellow accused him. First of, Lars shouldn't have any gem-powers, secondly, there shouldn't be any colors an Purple Diamond, which belong to Black Diamond! This had to be a fusion!

"I'm not fused with her! How would I- I poofed her! You've seen it! And I'm no traitor, either", he began sobbing. He would be killed or worse now, although he hadn't done anything.

Aggressively, Blue shoved Yellow to the side:" Leave him be! Yellow- Lars is right, we saw him poof her! Yet...", she trailed of.

"Yet what?", Steven asked, scared of what would happen to his mate now. This was supposed to be a nice party...

"I heard White's voice inside our fusion, too... It does make sense, that they are fused, but at the same time, it's impossible!", she admitted. 

Everyone looked at Lars, expecting an answer from him, but none came. 

Pink went up to him and asked:" Lars... is there anything, you aren't telling us? O-or maybe you forgot to tell us? Think back to when you last were with White- was there anything unusual? More so than normally with her, I mean. Tell us everything in detail, maybe there is something". They had to be missing something.

"I-I don't know! I met her, w-we  _kissed_ and then she wanted to fuse. We danced, but it didn't work at first, as I was too scared. Then she shouted at me and we somehow managed to form Black Diamond. It didn't hold long, so we fused again. Afterwards, we fought and I pulled White's gem out, which flew against her throne. I fell down and hurt myself, then I searched her and when I found her, she had been cracked. That's all that happened! I didn't stay fused or something!", he elaborated, fed up with not knowing, what was wrong with him.

After a while, Pearl, who, like most others, had come over as well, said:" She cracked from being thrown against something hard? She's a diamond- she shouldn't be so easily hurt by that. I think that's a bit weird". 

Lars inquired:" Pearl- you must have been near her- didn't she say anything to you? Did she reveal any plans or the like?". Please...

"No. I wasn't around her  _that much_. She mainly made me go somewhere else. But, I think she behave pretty unusual for herself as is. Before, she was so cool and collected, but nowadays, she had theses random outbursts again and again. Maybe she was already cracked, before you fused? It could explain this. However, it doesn't help us much here", she answered.

Yellow had another idea:" Can't we destabilize him? If he is fused, it would certainly split them".

Steven shrugged:" We could try, but he isn't a gem. Also- how could he be fused, if White was safely stored away by us?".

Something dawned on Lars:" Maybe we didn't put  _all_ of her away? If she cracked- maybe a small part of her gem split of? Is that possible?".

Pearl went on:" Theoretically, yes. But then, she really would have to have been cracked beforehand- and she would have to have planned this. But why would she? Also, where is her shard, then? It must be somewhere inside of you".

"When I unfused with her, my spine hurt like hell- but that could have come from falling twice. You don't really think...?", he whispered the last part. 

She shrugged" It’s our best bet". 

Steven came over to him and pulled him up, afterwards, he felt down his spine. And- there! At the point, where Lars' trousers began, he could feel something small and pointy beneath pink skin. If one didn't search for it, you wouldn't have noticed.

"Uh... How do we get it out? It seems to be  _inside_ his spine...", Steven pondered.

 ~~But did Lars want to get it out? White loved him, he knew. He cared for Lars. Unlike the others. Yellow even would have killed him! He just had to free _his diamond!_ He could do it, he knew. White wasn't so far away. They had put him on one of Homeworld's moons. Lars would be rewarded. Also, they would assume control of this planet, destroying the others. Lars could be powerful as well. And, he could be with his  _true love_.~~  

Did he really want it removed? Maybe it was his only chance of escape from Pink Diamond's reign.  And White would treat him good, he knew- he would care for him, make him live like a king! He saw the others madly discussing, on how to get the shard out, with not hurting Lars too much. Still, they would see him get away...

 ~~Diamonds can teleport from and to most places on Homworld. **He should t** **ry it**.~~ He had seen Steven do it once, so in theory, he knew how. But should he really?  ** ~~Yes, he has to~~** ~~.~~ He moved his arms to the side, like Steven did and warped away.

Quickly, the others turned towards him in shock- "Lars! What are you doing?!", Pink shouted. 

Yellow shouted." I KNEW IT! He is planning something with White- we shouldn't have trusted a human!". 

Blue disagreed quickly:" NO! It's White's influence on him, he doesn't know, what he's doing- we have to stop him and get the shard out! Quick- locate him!".

Pearl pulled out her tablet, searching for Lars, but:" I can't find him- he can't be anywhere on Homeworld. He warped to somewhere else- but where? He could be on any colony right now!". 

He knew, where Lars was going:" He's trying to get to White- he must have found out somehow! We have to stop him, if they fuse again... W-we don't stand a chance! Let's go!". He pulled Blue and Yellow towards him and they warped as well.

~~ The secret moon-prison of White Diamond~~

 ~~Luckily, White had had enough time to get to know this place, even while in this form. It was just one big labyrinth with a dozen of guards and automated drones, ready to kill anyone on sight. But now?~~ Lars knew exactly where to go and what to do. It didn't matter to him, where that info came from- no time! He had to rescue his  _true love_. This prison was a joke! He had to fight of like two guards and that was it! He entered the main chamber; a gigantic room made of stone. In the middle of it, on the floor, was a bubble with  _his diamond_ in it. He quickly ran up to it-

"LARS! Stop it, this isn't what you want! She is only using you; please don't!", Pink Diamond shouted. They also knew, how to traverse this prison. Still, they were a bit too late. Lars already had his hands on the bubble, ready to pop it.

"You don't understand! We love each other! Stop lying to me- he already told me about your honeyed words! You are just trying to use me!", Lars wailed. 

"Lars- He's the one who lies, not us! He doesn't love you and you don't love him, either!  _I love you_!", Steven called desperately. 

"This is taking too long, we should just kill him!", Yellow demanded, while drawing her sword, but Steven did his best to stop her.

Meanwhile, Lars had used that brief pause to pop it and take  _his diamond_. Finally, they were back together! Unexpectedly, White didn't even bother to form fully, before already enveloping Lars, so they would fuse. 

 _Yes_. Black Diamond was finally there again! And this time, he felt much better- much  _stronger and loved_. Smirking, he looked at the other  _small_ diamonds, looking quite shocked. 

"Lars- no! Please, you have to unfuse- o-or pull his gem out again!", Steven begged. This couldn't be happening. Lars couldn't-

"Not this time, sweety. We are so happy to be reunited. And now- any last words?", he threatened. He would  _crush_ those little pests. His plan had been messed with too much as was. White had considered being nice- only imprisoning them. But now, he wanted to  _shatter_ these pathetic little gems. He shouldn't have been poofed... luckily, he had installed his little shard in  _his human_ , keeping him as his servant, despite the others' efforts. It had been horrible to crack himself, but it was worth it~

Yellow shouted." White, sister, you can't do this!".

Black chuckled:" Of course I can~ should I show you?". Next, he pulled out his weapons- two katanas. He swung at the three Diamonds below him with one, almost slicing Blue in half, but Steven pulled out his shield and blocked his strike. That however, still made Steven fly across half of the room.

A few guards came in, who had been alarmed by the loud noises. But, Black Diamond simply sliced across the group once, poofing six and  _shattering two_  or so, who were unlucky enough to have their gems placed at their belly.

Yellow had angrily advanced on him in the meantime, but Black had four arms. One of them quickly grabbed Yellow and threw her against the nearest wall  _hard_. Surprisingly, it didn't poof her.  _Yet_.

" Human Lars- stop this madness! I know you don't want this! I felt it! Pleas-", Blue Diamond begged, but being distracted, was sliced as well. Thankfully, her gem sat a bit higher up and her gem fell to the floor in one piece.

Afterwards, Black charged for Yellow again, intending to impale her, but a shield was thrown into his face, almost hitting his gem. He fell backwards, being hurt like that- Steven had hit his eyes!  Great- now he would have to heal himself, making him vulnerable...

Steven used this chance to get to Yellow and demand:" We have to fuse- we don't stand a chance like this. White is too strong as is, but with Lars...".

"F-fine", she stammered. If she wasn't careful, she would poof with one more blow. She had only persevered with pure will-power. Standing up, she took Steven's hand.

"We can do this, trust me! We'll save all of them!", Steven encouraged her and hugged her, making them fuse. 

Peach Diamond appeared! She was strong, confident, stubborn and fearless- a true warrior! Now, she also had the advantage of four arms and also four eyes! She had peach, tight-fitting clothes, human-like skin and peach hair.

Quickly, she charged at Black Diamond, who parried her however. For a while, their swords clashed against each other again and again, but Yellow was just too tired. Their concentration was slipping and Black Diamond used this to stab them right in the stomach, only missing the Pink Diamond by a few millimeters.

Still, it was enough to split them, Yellow falling to her knees and being poofed with another blow. Now, it was only Steven, who didn't look much better-

"L-Lars...please, don't do this-", Steven begged again. He couldn't die at his mates hands...

Black chuckled, taking Steven's chin in one hand and making him look Black in the eyes:"  _Lars_ is White Diamond's~ He listens to him. Should I prove it to you? Hehe~". Black unfused- White gracefully stood with Lars on one of his hands, setting him down in front of Steven, who was cowering on the floor, holding his wound.

"Go on~ **Kill** **him** **for** **me**! Show him, how much you love your  _true_ diamond", White cooed. 

Lars had his katana already in hand and walked towards Steven. He kicked him once, so he would land on his butt and reveal his gem. 

"LARS, NO! Please! You don't know, what you are doing! He doesn't love you; I love you! No-", Steven went on pleading for his life, as his mate simply smiled at him madly and prepared to strike right into the gem. 

~~He would be with his real diamond! Not with this fake, deformed, disgraceful diamond-hybrid. Lars loved his Diamond and **only him**. ~~

"What are you waiting for, love?  **Do it** ", White impatiently added. He needed to do other things today as well, ugh...

"No-", Steven cried one more time, as he saw  _his love_ raise his sword now. He closed his eyes- this was it-

After a few moments, he was still alive and only heard a disgusting snapping noise- he opened his eyes quickly, to see his mate impaled by a Pearl's sword- his Pearl!  _White Pearl_! Wide-eyed, Lars let his katana fall and sank to his knees. Pearl had broken his spine  _again_ \- killing him.

The sword disappeared to it's owner, who was standing across the room; she had thrown the sword. White Diamond turned around in shock:" What are  _you_ doing here?". He advanced on her, striking at her. "I am protecting  _my diamond_ -  **you** \- from herself! You've gone mad!", she shouted, while attacking him.

Meanwhile, Steven had scrambled over to his dying boyfriend, coughing on the floor. "Lars! No- Please don't die... I-", he cried. Being undead, Lars didn't die instantly from his wound like last time. He died  _slowly_ and painfuly. 

"L-Leave me alone! I-I'll kill you!", he brought out, grabbing weakly for his sword. He apparently was still under White's control, making Steven sob even more. 

"I love you! I'm so sorry it has to end like this... I-I don't even know, if I can revive you- but I can't let you live with that shard in you- I'm so sorry", Steven cried. He pulled Lars' shirt up- maybe he could t-take it out?  
He saw a hole in Lars' back from where Pearl had hit him- it might have the perfect position... But- he just couldn't do it! He couldn't- if he pulled it out, he'd hurt Lars even more- it might even kill him- but...

"What should I do?", he whispered. 

Full of hate, Lars started rummaging through Steven's shirt, trying to grasp for his gem and pull it out.  ~~He had to kill the Pink Diamond. Only White loved him, only he mattered. **Don't stop.**~~

He pulled Lars' hands away and held them still. He had to-  _get it out_. Either, Lars would live or he would die, both were better than living as White's slave. He searched for the shard and found it. He only had to pull it out... It was the only thing keeping his spine together more or less... Quickly, he pulled at it and succeeded. Lars' movements came to a sudden halt- did he...? "L-Lars?", Steven called. Was he...?

In the meantime, Pearl was still fighting White, other Crystal Gems and guards had followed her lead. In the end, a lot of them poofed or were shattered. But, White was as well. With a final blow, Pearl had poofed her, which let her gem fall to the ground. Being already quite damaged, it broke into hundreds of small pieces and scattered across the floor.

She couldn't believe it- they had done it! Now, where was- oh. Steven was sitting over his mate's body, which was laying there, unmoving and crying. He desperately shook at Lars to  _wake him up_ \- why wasn't he?! He had revived him before! Why wasn't it working-

She quickly grabbed the other diamonds, securing them, and went towards Steven, who looked up at her:" Why isn't he- Why can't I resurrect him? Please...", he sobbed. 

Pearl knelt down and regarded the pink human. His body had already healed from the diamond's tears but there was no sign of life. No pulse, no breathing- nothing. "I-I don't know, my diamond. Maybe he is just unconscious? His body looks fine... We should take him back to your quarters and wait a while. Gems also need some time to heal, if they were poofed. I'm sure he'll be fine...", she assured him. But really, she didn't know herself, if the Barriga boy was dead for good. 

Carefully, she carried Lars- Steven couldn't himself, he was too emotionally disturbed to carry his  _perhaps_ dead boyfriend. She still didn't like him, but he didn't deserve  _this_. 

~~At PD's court~~

It was too much. She saw her son laying on Steven's bed, unmoving like a corpse. He had been unresponsive for  _days_ and they weren't sure, if he would ever become  _alive_. Steven was a wreck, but he couldn't hide. He had to be in public and manage four courts  _at once_. White was dead and the others still poofed. Dozens of gems came- he rarely got to sleep. He didn't want to anyway- he always had nightmares about Lars not waking up. 

Mrs. Barriga held her son's hand, sitting on the edge of his bed, while Dante stroked her back. "What if he doesn't wake up?", she asked her husband. 

"I don't know...Let's hope he does. I mean, he looks fine...", he responded, watching on as she petted their son's hair. They had been sitting here for hours, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, Steven came tumbling in. He looked  _awful._ They knew he had been working far too much these past days, especially for a 14 year-old boy. 

"Has anything happened?", he asked, but they shook their heads. "I'm sorry, but I really need to sleep now... Could you go for now?", he sighed. He knew they wanted to stay with Lars, but he only slept like four hours in the past three days. He couldn't take any more... 

Reluctantly, they agreed and left. Steven prepared himself for bed, laying down on his side of the bed. "Hopefully, you aren't dead, or this will be pretty disgusting...", he murmured. He kissed Lars on the cheek sadly and lay down, facing him. "Why won't you wake up- I'm sure you aren't dead!", he demanded to be answered. He put one arm over his mate, cuddling his cold body and beginning to sob. 

"Please come back to me! I can't do this alone... I need you. I can't stay alone here forever...", he begged. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't a better mate and you had to turn to White for comfort... This is all my fault! It was also my fault, that she turned mad in the first place. I wish, my mom had never formed- she hurt everyone! And now, I'm doing the same", he went on crying. 

"I can't rule these people alone... Please! Wake up!", he pleaded further. He did this almost every time he visited his mate. But nothing ever happened! If he would at least show some type of reaction- if he would just breathe! But he was doing nothing...

Crying, Steven fell asleep. He dreamed of Lars dying all over again at his own hands, begging him to help him. He dreamed of his mate being raped-  _by Steven_. Also, he had dreams, where Lars was White's mate, watching them love each other and Lars being way happier, than he ever had been with Steven. 

When he awoke, he already felt tears streaming down his face again- he had to go out again soon and pretend, that everything was ok. That he was a strong ruler, who knew, what he was doing- he just couldn't-

"Hey... it's alright", a voice said, while someone embraced him and stroked his back- who...?

"L-Lars?!", he exclaimed, while pushing himself away a bit.

His pirate chuckled weakly:" The one and only... nice to see you again, love".

"W-when did you wake up? Am I dreaming again? W-what...", Steven stammered in disbelief. It couldn't be- he had waited so long!

"Hm... an hour ago? No, I think, we are both awake, Steven. How long have I been unconscious?", Lars wondered. He guessed it was a day or two perhaps.

"A WEEK! You were gone for a whole week... I- I thought, you were dead!", Steven began sobbing again. This had to be a dream, he knew it!

He pressed himself closer to his mate:" I'm sorry...", he apologized. He hadn't meant, to hurt his mate. "Also, sorry for betraying you. I- I didn't know what I was doing! He had lulled me in- promised me the world and more...", he went on.

The diamond returned the hug:" It's alright! I know you weren't doing this, because you wanted to... I'm only glad, you are alright. And we'll never have to worry about her again- Pearl shattered her".

"She did? Maybe she is a good person, after all. And you pulled out the shard, thank you. I love you Steven, despite anything that happened", he declared and kissed his boyfriend. 

The latter sighed:" I love doing this, but I have to go. Yellow and Blue are still poofed- I have to coordinate their courts as well". 

"No way! You look tired, love. Let me do that. I've slept long enough", he chuckled.

"But you can't! You don't have the required knowledge a-and you aren't a diamond-", he began.

"No, Steven. But I have fused with enough diamonds to have a grasp on what to do. And I will probably make better decisions than you, when you are near a burnout. You have to sleep. Now, let go", he demanded and freed himself from Steven's death grip.

"I can't, if you aren't here...", Steven whispered ashamedly. 

At that confession, Lars took off his beloved coat and threw it onto Steven:" Take that as a substitute, ok? Also, you are so tired, that you are going to fall asleep without me as well.  Now- good night~", he wished him farewell and disappeared. He went to the throne room, already seeing about thirty gems in a line, waiting. They really were coming from all courts, it seemed. Some of their gems excitedly waved at him, not having seen him in so long.

Did Steven tell them, what happened? He doubted it. There had been gems present at their party, but they surely had been commanded to forget or shut up, he hoped. He walked towards the throne and elegantly sat down on it, producing many gasps. He declared:" Pink Diamond sadly needs some rest. He is partly human in the end. So, today, I will take his place. Don't worry, he will return soon, though". That should be enough information for them.

The gems wanted all kinds of things: Some gave him reports, others asked for money, there were even some only bringing him gifts and stuff. It was pretty neat. When he had half of the people finished, someone jumped the queue: Blue and Yellow Pearl. The others weren't so happy about it, but he let them pass.

Yellow Pearl began speaking:" We have grandiose news! Our magnificent Diamonds will soon form again- it can only be a few more hours! Uh... why are  _you_ sitting on Pink Diamond's throne?!".

"That's great. Because I'm his mate and he is too exhausted to attend to his duties, so I'm doing them. Do you have a problem with that, hm?", Lars inquired.

She defended herself:" N-no! It's just...  _unheard of_. I'll go now...". He quickly went away, but Blue Pearl stayed. 

"Is there anything else?", PD's mate wanted to know.

"Yes. I need to visit one of my Diamond's colonies. It is a rather dangerous one, however- very unstable. I can't take my Diamond with me. Would you take care of her? I believe, you can be trusted now. Also, she seems to like you", she explained herself, while holding out her tiny hands, presenting her diamond.

"You trust me- after all that happened? I... thank you. I'll take good care of her", he promised, while taking the gem. Blue Pearl bowed and went away. Unsure where to put the gem, as he didn't have any pockets, he just held it in his hand. The next gems, who spoke to him, were even more in awe at him now. Some even asked him, if he was some kind of Diamond himself, but he declined. What unnerved him a little, though, were gems, that alluded to his "affair" with White, asking, whether he was sad about her disappearance. 

He answered them:" Pink Diamond is my mate and I don't have  _anything_ to do with White, understood? Where did you even get that from?".

A ruby, that had made the remark, blushed and cast his eyes down:" I-It's just a rumor- everyone is talking about it. I didn't know, whether it was true or not".

"What else do they say, hm?", Lars aggressively wanted to be told.

"U-uh... some say, that's why White disappeared. B-because Pink became jealous and such. Some even say, Pink shattered her!", he whispered.

"Well then.  **I command you, to tell everyone saying that, that it is untrue.** Understood? Anyone saying stuff like that, will be punished  _by me_ ", he threatened and the ruby enthusiastically nodded, before going away. Great! He didn't need any rumors like that. 

After a few long hours, Steven returned and sat besides his mate, cuddling up against him. "Did everything go well?", he asked, while putting Lars' coat on the armrest.

"Yeah. Uh, Blue Pearl came over and let me babysit Blue Diamond for a while, but already collected her again. Also, I've heard of some  _interesting_  rumors. People think, I've had an affair with White and you made her disappear, because of it", he chuckled. 

"Ugh, I've heard it as well. But really, there are even worse ones.  Some just think, you are some kind of  _slut_ for diamonds, it seems. They also say, you've had affairs with Blue and Yellow", he confessed annoyedly. 

"Maybe I do and you just don't know it yet?", Lars teased. Of course, he didn't. 

"I hope not. But really, I don't like the rumors", he admitted.

"Why? I think, they are at least somewhat funny. Well, the one about my affair with White is quite disturbing, to be honest...", his pirate added.

"Because you are mine! No one should think otherwise!", he exclaimed, completely ignoring the six or so gems, that were already waiting in line again. 

"Hm. Maybe you should show it to them? That I'm your's~", he teased again. He didn't mind, if he could get his mind off of work for a while.

Steven took that as a hint and pulled at Lars' collar, so he would lean down and kiss him. The gems present blushed like mad- s-should they go? Uh...

~~~~

Their kiss got a bit more heated, Lars pulling Steven on top of him, clearly feeling his hardness beginning to form.  "Oh~ Someone is quite eager, today", he whispered between kisses.

"That's your fault for leaving me alone for so long", the diamond defended himself. "Is this ok, by the way? I still don't want to scare you, or something...", he asked. 

"Yeah. I'll murder you, if you stop. But let me take the lead today, ok?", he chuckled, at which Steven nodded. The pirate nosed at Steven's neck, before biting down and sucking, making his boyfriend moan.

Uh... they probably really shouldn't be here anymore, but it was kind of interesting to look at...

Steven began grinding into the hardness below him, but he was pressed further into one corner of the throne, immobilizing him. "Lars~ that's cruel!", he whined.

"I know~ but I also know, you love being  _dominated_ and want to be  _fucked_ by me...", he growled, while biting down harder and stroking the Diamond's crotch, who moaned in return. Sneakily, Lars let his hand slide into Steven's trousers, rubbing his dick to full hardness. 

"Please...more! Don't tease me like that~", he pleaded. Lars began kissing him more intensely and letting his hand wander even further down, rubbing his Diamond's entrance, but not breaching it yet.  "Tell me something nice, come on~", Lars demanded.

"You are mean... You know, I don't like saying these things- nngh~ Pease  _do it_... F-fuck me!", his diamond whimpered. Happy with what he got, he let one finger sink into Steven, searching his special spot and finding it soon enough. While he rubbed it and Steven moaned like mad, the latter was also giving him a little handjob, no being able to do much in this position. 

~~~~

Just as Steven was about to beg for  _even more_ , they heard the door to the throne room open and some familiar voices. They were ok with scarring random servants, but not letting their  _parents_ and  _friends_ see it. Quickly, Lars withdrew his hand. 

"What are we going to do now?? I'm  _hard_ , they'll see!", Steven hurriedly whispered. Lars sat down normally and pulled Steven's legs on top of him, hiding his  _problem_ and then folded his coat and gave it to Steven. "That should do it, I hope...", Lars smiled at him apologetically. 

"Yeah, as long, as we don't have to stand up, love. Oh star- this is embarrassing", he exclaimed and looked at the gems before him:" And now,  _you_ have to go. Pretty rude, that you've watched us already". Fast, they scrambled away. Well, perhaps there would be other rumors now- but these would be better.

Happily their friends and family approached- but this time, no one stormed towards them. After greeting everyone from up above and being glad, Lars wasn't dead, they were asked by Greg:" So, boys... Will you come visit us in Beach City tonight? It would be great to have you there!".

"S-sure!", Steven answered:" Uh, but we can't go now. Blue and Yellow have to reform first and we'll have to have a meeting first, but then we'll come for sure!". He really hoped, he would  _cum_ today...

"But that'll take some more time, right? Maybe we could do something on Homeworld together until then?", Greg went on.

Lars declined:"Uh... we two still have to  _discuss_ some matters, you know? Important, political stuff and such".

Connie became suspicious; why were they so fidgety? "What's wrong with you guys? Seems, like you don't want to have us here. Are you hiding something?".

"Of course not! It's just- you came in an ill-timed moment. We were just discussing something  _personal_ and you kind of interrupted us", Steven lied more or less. It had been kind of personal...

She frowned:" Ok? We'll see you later, then". Lucky for them, they left after that, even if they were a bit disappointed.

"That could have gone worse- now, where were we~?", Lars reminded Steven. He pried the coat from him and threw it away, while pulling him in for another kiss. 

  

 


End file.
